News

Elliot Harrison

Elliot Harrison has covered the NFL for 10 seasons and currently serves as an analyst for NFL Media. Before joining the media group in 2009, he wrote for FoxSports.com. He has appeared on NFL Network's "NFL Total Access" and "NFL AM," and contributes regularly to "Fantasy Live" and NFL Now. You can follow him on both Twitter (@HarrisonNFL) and Facebook.

Many games to get to on the Week 14 slate, but first, an important discussion ... Who is MVP? There seems to be less chatter about this award than usual, nationally speaking, probably because the media is hyper-focused on two rookies in Dallas te...
more

Many games to get to on the Week 14 slate, but first, an important discussion ... Who is MVP? There seems to be less chatter about this award than usual, nationally speaking, probably because the media is hyper-focused on two rookies in Dallas te...
more

Continuity at the top -- that's what we have heading into Week 14. And you know what? That's what you want . This is the time of the season where the premier teams in the league should come into clear focus. The first-round exitees and the playof...
more

Week 13 ... Heck, I am already gearing up for playoff time. And boy, this week offers so many matchups with playoff implications. I can't wait to see Lions at Saints , for example. If you check out Detroit's remaining schedule , you'll notice that...
more

Week 13 ... Heck, I am already gearing up for playoff time. And boy, this week offers so many matchups with playoff implications. I can't wait to see Lions at Saints , for example. If you check out Detroit's remaining schedule , you'll notice that...
more

Stretch time. This is where all the games matter . OK, obviously, in a 16-game season, all of 'em count heavily. Yet, now we are down to five games for every team besides the Browns and Titans (the last two bye teams, both off this week), which m...
more

Lions. Cowboys. Thanksgiving. It's tradition -- and it's worth celebrating. Detroit has been playing Turkey Day games since 1934, when the Lions lost to the two-time defending-champion Bears in front of 26,000 at University of Detroit Stadium. Th...
more

Lions. Cowboys. Thanksgiving. It's tradition -- and it's worth celebrating. Detroit has been playing Turkey Day games since 1934, when the Lions lost to the two-time defending-champion Bears in front of 26,000 at University of Detroit Stadium. Th...
more

Turkey Day week ... The table has been set. Right next to the overcooked turkey and the cranberry nobody wants to eat lies the Week 12 Power Rankings. If you are lucky, A) your team lies somewhere in the top 20 (or else your team will be home with...
more

While Kate Upton takes on the Baseball Writers' Association of America , I tackle the Week 11 Game Picks. We have the old starter fully supporting the new starter in Dallas , as the Cowboys prepare to take on Baltimore. We'll get to see a new start...
more

While Kate Upton takes on the Baseball Writers' Association of America , I tackle the Week 11 Game Picks. We have the old starter fully supporting the new starter in Dallas , as the Cowboys prepare to take on Baltimore. We'll get to see a new start...
more

Much hand-wringing the last few weeks over television ratings, watered-down product, limited marquee matchups -- essentially, football's version of doom and gloom. Think Broncos at Saints , otherwise known as White Shoegate , answered the second pr...
more

Dallas at Pittsburgh. You can't ask for a better game at this time of year. One team is the best in its conference. The other? The best desperate club, with another loss pushing hopes of the division crown and/or a playoff bye further away. The N...
more

Dallas at Pittsburgh. You can't ask for a better game at this time of year. One team is the best in its conference. The other? The best desperate club, with another loss pushing hopes of the division crown and/or a playoff bye further away. The N...
more

It's hump week in pro football. Midseason report cards are in. It's the deep breath before the plunge . With that in mind, here are some Cliffs Notes on what's relevant when stacking up the teams before the all-important stretch run: Â» Teams...
more

Much midseason talk right now ... Who's the MVP? Which winning team is going to come back to the pack? Which is the best team in the NFC? Where is the AFC Championship Game going to be played? When will the Browns win their first game? (And of...
more

Much midseason talk right now ... Who's the MVP? Which winning team is going to come back to the pack? Which is the best team in the NFC? Where is the AFC Championship Game going to be played? When will the Browns win their first game? (And of...
more

It's Week 9 , the day after Halloween, and you might be nursing a sugar hangover ... or something like that. Halloween can be the most unique of the holidays, especially when it falls on Monday night. We got to watch the Bears, which is appropriate...
more

Is this the week the Patriots fall again? Been receiving tweets -- and catching flak from colleagues -- about every team at the top of the Power Rankings losing the following week . Yet, if that's true, Tom Brady and Co. would have to falter again...
more

Is this the week the Patriots fall again? Been receiving tweets -- and catching flak from colleagues -- about every team at the top of the Power Rankings losing the following week . Yet, if that's true, Tom Brady and Co. would have to falter again...
more

The Week 8 Power Rankings are in ... but not without a hot sports opinion fresh out of the oven. How people could consider Sunday night's game between the Seahawks and Cardinals bad football vexes me. I get it: Your fantasy running back didn't sco...
more

With "Top 10 Quarterbacks" -- which will run through the 10 best quarterbacks in NFL history -- premiering Friday at 8 p.m. ET on NFL Network, Elliot Harrison assembled his own list of the 10 best signal callers ever, listed in reverse order below. T...
more

Rivalry week in the NFL, on several levels. We kick off Week 7 with the oldest grudge match in NFL history between the Bears and Packers -- two sides who've been going at it since 1921. Green Bay lost that first meeting 20-0, by the way. Samkon Ga...
more

Rivalry week in the NFL, on several levels. We kick off Week 7 with the oldest grudge match in NFL history between the Bears and Packers -- two sides who've been going at it since 1921. Green Bay lost that first meeting 20-0, by the way. Samkon Ga...
more

Major shakeup. Well, save for Nos. 1, 2 and 32 in the Week 7 Power Rankings. The Vikings were on a bye last week, while the Patriots keep rolling along like it's 2004. Once past those two, the NFL totem pole is a jumbled mess, as no team is in the...
more

Litmus-test time in the NFL. Are the Falcons still at risk of the kind of collapse we saw last year? Or will they prove their might in another tough-as-crap road game ? Is this a lost season for the Jets or can they surprise the Cardinals in prim...
more

Litmus-test time in the NFL. Are the Falcons still at risk of the kind of collapse we saw last year? Or will they prove their might in another tough-as-crap road game ? Is this a lost season for the Jets or can they surprise the Cardinals in prim...
more

The Power Rankings curse! Each of the past three editions of this piece has featured a new team in the pole position. And in each instance, the new No. 1 went down the Sunday after its coronation. The Steelers were flattened in Philadelphia in Week...
more

Tape time. It's Week 5, which means all of these young players who've put an early stamp on the 2016 season will be forced to prove themselves all over again. Defensive coordinators now own enough tape on Carson Wentz, a guy who didn't play in the...
more

Tape time. It's Week 5, which means all of these young players who've put an early stamp on the 2016 season will be forced to prove themselves all over again. Defensive coordinators now own enough tape on Carson Wentz, a guy who didn't play in the...
more

Jigsaw puzzle. With the bye weeks here, the Week 5 Power Rankings are a disorderly lot, taking shape with uneven records and, ultimately, uneven performances. The Steelers got destroyed by the Eagles , then on Sunday night , looked like the 1950-51...
more

Please insert cool line about bye weeks to intro my column here: _____________. Yep, it's that time of the football year, with a light bye week to kick off the annual midseason vacations. The Eagles and Packers are off this week, meaning we can't w...
more

Please insert cool line about bye weeks to intro my column here: _____________. Yep, it's that time of the football year, with a light bye week to kick off the annual midseason vacations. The Eagles and Packers are off this week, meaning we can't w...
more

The Patriots beat a playoff team with a third-stringer under center. The Eagles made it look easy against the NFL's hottest team with a rookie QB. Cody Kessler almost pulled off the upset of the season in his first pro start. We haven't gotten to...
more

Lesson of the week: Going 0-3 changes your team's season. Over the past 26 NFL campaigns, teams that have gone 0-3 have made the playoffs all of 2.3 percent of the time. That's three of 128 such squads making it to the postseason. In contrast, h...
more

Lesson of the week: Going 0-3 changes your team's season. Over the past 26 NFL campaigns, teams that have gone 0-3 have made the playoffs all of 2.3 percent of the time. That's three of 128 such squads making it to the postseason. In contrast, h...
more

Good, bad, then (sort of) good news for a Power Rankings ascender this week ... Minnesota bested its chief competitor in the NFC North , putting the Vikings a game up in the division -- and also making them one of only three undefeated teams in the...
more

Which unsung QB will it be this week? Tuesday's Power Rankings extolled the virtues of young signal callers around the league making their presence felt. But what about sixth-year veteran Blaine Gabbert, fifth-year vet Brock Osweiler and, to a les...
more

Which unsung QB will it be this week? Tuesday's Power Rankings extolled the virtues of young signal callers around the league making their presence felt. But what about sixth-year veteran Blaine Gabbert, fifth-year vet Brock Osweiler and, to a les...
more

That boy good. Week 1 was chock-full of thrillers, track meets and even an old-fashioned slugfest, yet Carson Wentz displayed as much star power as anyone in the game on Sunday, whether his college pedigree is up to snuff or not. The other young...
more

Panthers versus Broncos, 2.0. Well, not really. You know by now that Trevor Siemian is starting for Denver. You also are probably aware that Carolina has its best wide receiver back in Kelvin Benjamin. That doesn't mean we aren't reliving last...
more

Panthers versus Broncos, 2.0. Well, not really. You know by now that Trevor Siemian is starting for Denver. You also are probably aware that Carolina has its best wide receiver back in Kelvin Benjamin. That doesn't mean we aren't reliving last seas...
more

Jimmy Garoppolo: starting. Dak Prescott: starting. Carson Wentz: ... you get the point. Week 1 of the 2016 NFL season is here, full of even more unknowns than usual. (And that's saying something, considering that this is a pretty darn erratic l...
more

Ceiling ... You can be a U.S. Senator one day! Floor ... Will you be moving out before you're 28? The highs and lows of expectations -- they're all around. From our parents. From our employers. And, of course, we turn around and project the sam...
more

Ceiling ... You can be a U.S. Senator one day! Floor ... Will you be moving out before you're 28? The highs and lows of expectations -- they're all around. From our parents. From our employers. And, of course, we turn around and project the sam...
more

Ceiling ... You can be a U.S. Senator one day! Floor ... Will you be moving out before you're 28? The highs and lows of expectations -- they're all around. From our parents. From our employers. And, of course, we turn around and project the sam...
more

Ceiling ... You can be a U.S. Senator one day! Floor ... Will you be moving out before you're 28? The highs and lows of expectations -- they're all around. From our parents. From our employers. And, of course, we turn around and project the sam...
more

Ceiling ... You can be a U.S. Senator one day! Floor ... Will you be moving out before you're 28? The highs and lows of expectations -- they're all around. From our parents. From our employers. And, of course, we turn around and project the sam...
more

Ceiling ... You can be a U.S. Senator one day! Floor ... Will you be moving out before you're 28? The highs and lows of expectations -- they're all around. From our parents. From our employers. And, of course, we turn around and project the sam...
more

Every August, we watch football, hoping to catch a glimpse of the starters for a quarter -- two, if we're lucky. Then, somehow, we think we can predict who is going to ball out. Hahahahammmmph, uhhuh, uhhuh ... OK, pookie, we realize we're speculati...
more

Every August, we watch football, hoping to catch a glimpse of the starters for a quarter -- two, if we're lucky. Then, somehow, we think we can predict who is going to ball out. Hahahahammmmph, uhhuh, uhhuh ... OK, pookie, we realize we're spe...
more

Tim McGraw hates football. No Hall of Fame Game means no sneak peek at two consistent playoff teams. Thus, the annual preseason Power Rankings are flying on instruments, with no preseason football gameage until Thursday night . Much is taken into...
more

CANTON, Ohio -- Another Hall class in the books. This one was a cherry, too. So what's next? Clearly not a football game . So how about the Class of 2017? Too soon? It will be announced in, oh, about six months. Doesn't mean we can't start...
more

By now you've probably heard who is being enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday. You'll hear speeches that run into the night. You'll hear the howls of approximately 40 billion cheeseheads who've made the trek from Wisconsin. It sh...
more

Who is your team's top candidate for the Pro Football Hall of Fame? What a terrifically challenging question to answer. When it comes to who belongs in the museum in Canton -- an Ohio town of less than 100,000 people -- opinions vary, tempers flar...
more

Who is your team's top candidate for the Pro Football Hall of Fame? What a terrifically challenging question to answer. When it comes to who belongs in the museum in Canton -- an Ohio town of less than 100,000 people -- opinions vary, tempers flar...
more

The "All or Nothing" Cardinals are making the playoffs again, and Bruce Arians will be a candidate for Coach of the Year. Those are solid predictions, man. And boring. It's mid-July. Nearly every player is healthy. Everyone is anticipating when...
more

The "All or Nothing" Cardinals are making the playoffs again, and Bruce Arians will be a candidate for Coach of the Year. Those are solid predictions, man. And boring. It's mid-July. Nearly every player is healthy. Everyone is anticipating when...
more

Long view vs. What have you done for me lately? That's the issue when attempting to rank the NFL's 32 head coaches. Todd Bowles won 10 games last season. Should he be above a frontman who fared poorly in 2015 but took his outfit to multiple postse...
more

Long view vs. What have you done for me lately? That's the issue when attempting to rank the NFL's 32 head coaches. Todd Bowles won 10 games last season. Should he be above a frontman who fared poorly in 2015 but took his outfit to mu...
more

The beauty of the "All-32" is that it provides something for every fan base, which is why I created the series. And why I love executing the NFL.com Power Rankings and Game Picks during the season. Following every team is hard work, but respecting e...
more

The beauty of the "All-32" is that it provides something for every fan base, which is why I created the series. And why I love executing the NFL.com Power Rankings and Game Picks during the season. Following every team is hard work, but respecting e...
more

You got questions? We've got answers. Sort of. Maybe. Well, as much as May will allow. Every member club in the NFL has a major subplot to watch, as the summer rolls into training camp rolls into preseason. Are the Jets the headless horsemen? Did t...
more

You got questions? We've got answers. Sort of. Maybe. Well, as much as May will allow. Every member club in the NFL has a major subplot to watch, as the summer rolls into training camp rolls into preseason. Are the Jets the headless horsemen? Did t...
more

Whether you were in Chicago, watched from home or sat in a bowling alley, you saw what was initially deemed an unsexy draft turn out to be legit entertainment for three days. The 15 hours or so of live coverage uncovered so many stories. There was...
more

You can't make this stuff up. As if the Chicago nights weren't frigid enough during the 2016 NFL Draft, nothing was as cold as the apparent attempted social-media takedown of Laremy Tunsil on Day 1, or the freefall of arguably the most talented...
more

Drafted out yet? Even if you aren't, let's take a break from wondering where Carson Wentz will end up and what Chip Kelly really thinks of Blaine Gabbert and consider the gems dotting the 2016 NFL slate. There are plenty, including postseason...
more

Every organization has a burning question heading into the great college marketplace. No matter how successful the free agency period or how bright the future, there is not a Belichick ... er ... team in the league that doesn't have serious issues...
more

Every organization has a burning question heading into the great college marketplace. No matter how successful the free agency period or how bright the future, there is not a Belichick ... er ... team in the league that doesn't have serious issues...
more

Final score: Cardinals 26, Packers 20 Â» Full list of the Top 20 Games of 2015 It was almost exactly 40 years prior to the best game the 2015 season had to offer when Roger Staubach heaved a 50-yard touchdown bomb to help the Cowboys take down...
more

Final score: Panthers 27, Seahawks 23 Â» Full list of the Top 20 Games of 2015 The right of passage for a successful NFL team goes through Seattle. All the dabbing, sideline karaoke of "Sweet Caroline," and boy they're good even without Kelv...
more

Final score: Broncos 31, Chiefs 24 Â» Full list of the Top 20 Games of 2015 They say that even an aging boxer has a "puncher's chance." Maybe so, but Manning's right hook, er, right arm was looking pretty feeble at Arrowhead on a Thursday ni...
more

Final score: Steelers 18, Bengals 16 Â» Full list of the Top 20 Games of 2015 How the Bengals lost the Wild Card game still boggles the mind. It was their sixth one-and-done in the last seven seasons. And it all came down to buffoonery. Or...
more

You might have walked out of "Batman v Superman" or peaced out of your online "Call of Duty" fest long enough to catch the glowing comments Lawrence Taylor made about J.J. Watt the other day. "That J.J. Watt is a bad S.O.B." It's easy to unders...
more

You might have walked out of "Batman v Superman" or peaced out of your online "Call of Duty" fest long enough to catch the glowing comments Lawrence Taylor made about J.J. Watt the other day: "That J.J. Watt is a bad S.O.B." It's easy to und...
more

Final score: Packers 27, Lions 23 Â» Full list of the Top 20 Games of 2015 Aaron Rodgers' heave must have looked like a little brown peanut M&M to Richard Rodgers. The caboose of the Packers Hail Mary train, the slowest of the Green Bay...
more

Final score: Panthers 41, Saints 38 To put it simply, Panthers-Saints Week 13 was a ridiculously entertaining football game full of highlight-reel plays. Er, how about we just call it what it was: fun . This game packed in highlight plays like M...
more

Final score: Cardinals 39, Seahawks 32 Aggressive. Unconventional. Fearless. Pick any of those words, and you will have an apt description of Bruce Arians' offensive philosophy. You will also have an indirect explanation for why Cardinals player...
more

Final score: Patriots 27, Giants 26 Â» Full list of the Top 20 Games of 2015 As legendary as he might be, Brett Favre's Packers could never beat the Cowboys at Texas Stadium. Tom couldn't take Jerry . My brother pasted me at Stratego 44 times...
more

Final score: Steelers 38, Raiders 35 Â» Full list of the Top 20 Games of 2015 If football is a team sport, then it could be said it is still ruled by a handful of immensely talented individuals. Consider Raiders at Steelers, Week 9 ... one of...
more

Final score: Seahawks 10, Vikings 9 Â» Full list of the Top 20 Games of 2015 What makes an NFL game, for lack of a better word, great? Is it an abundance of scoring? Arena league shootouts like Giants at Saints (52-49, Week 8) where fans rea...
more

The Free Agency Power Rankings. Consider this our opening salvo toward determining order in the NFL membership for the 2016 campaign. With the new league year starting last week, teams have been blowing their cap money like ... well ... like ... wa...
more

Final score: Rams 24, Cardinals 22 The celebration of the day went to Stedman Bailey. Don't sleep on it . Catch of the game? Janoris Jenkins went all Tyree on us . Yet, the best player on the football field in our 20th Top Game of 2015 was...
more

They're dropping like flies. The elite of the Y2K era are hanging 'em up left and right. There was Patrick Willis last March. Charles Woodson told everyone he was done at the end of December. Beast Mode tweeted his epic farewell in February....
more

They're dropping like flies. The elite of the Y2K era are hanging 'em up left and right. There was Patrick Willis last March. Charles Woodson told everyone he was done at the end of December. Beast Mode tweeted his epic farewell in February. Then w...
more

Who represents the NFL's next generation of stars? I'm not just talking the 2015 rookie studs -- i.e., the Todd Gurleys of the world -- but those guys with a few seasons of pro experience who are about to go wild. Thinking DeAndre Hopkins in that reg...
more

Who represents the NFL's next generation of stars? I'm not just talking the 2015 rookie studs -- i.e., the Todd Gurleys of the world -- but those guys with a few seasons of pro experience who are about to go wild. Thinking DeAndre Hopkins in that reg...
more

It's decision time regarding a very important position in Washington D.C. Of course, when all is said and done, I don't see Kirk Cousins going anywhere. Yes, free agency is looming, and teams across the NFL will be deciding whether to franchise...
more

They did it. Super Bowl 50 belonged to the best defense, football defense, in the world. The Denver Broncos never looked like the top team in the NFL, switched quarterbacks and played some sloppy football in the late goings of the season. Yet, whe...
more

How about NFL Honors night, right? You'll read about league MVP Cam Newton. You'll tear up listening to Comeback Player of the Year Eric Berry. Yet, we're here to honor the past ... the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Class of 2016. After writing a pie...
more

Some 53 years ago, the Pro Football Hall of Fame had some making up to do. The NFL had been around for over 40 years at that point, and it was time to produce the first class of legends. Jim Thorpe needed a bust. Red Grange, too. How about Slingin'...
more

You might've heard that the Panthers and Broncos are squaring off in Super Bowl 50. What you might not have realized: This guarantees that one of the NFL's most decorated active defenders will be earning his first ring. Jared Allen and DeMarcu...
more

You might've heard that the Panthers and Broncos are squaring off in Super Bowl 50. What you might not have realized: This guarantees that one of the NFL's most decorated active defenders will be earning his first ring. Jared Allen and DeMarcus Ware...
more

You have company, Carson Palmer. With a spot in Super Bowl 50 at stake, the Cardinals' MVP candidate turned the ball over six times in an NFC title game showing that was erratic, to say the least. It was one of the most disappointing performances i...
more

You have company, Carson Palmer. With a spot in Super Bowl 50 at stake, the Cardinals' MVP candidate turned the ball over six times in an NFC title game showing that was erratic, to say the least. It was one of the most disappointing per...
more

Which is the better game this weekend? Love championship weekend, but this year is special. The NFC Championship Game features what are inarguably the two best teams in the conference. And while you could argue the Steelers (when healthy) belong ov...
more

Which is the better game this weekend? Love championship weekend, but this year is special. The NFC Championship Game features what are inarguably the two best teams in the conference. And while you could argue the Steelers (when healthy) belong ov...
more

Championship Sunday's on the horizon! Time to look forward to who could be playing in Super Bowl 50 ... ... but not yet. Let's not step too far away without looking back at an awesome Divisional Round. The Packers and Cardinals gave us an even be...
more

Who could forget Kam Chancellor playing "Super Mario Brothers" with the Panthers' field-goal unit in last season's playoffs? This week's playoff slate features three rematches from the regular season, including the doozy between the Seahawks and...
more

Who could forget Kam Chancellor playing "Super Mario Brothers" with the Panthers' field-goal unit in last season's playoffs? This week's playoff slate features three rematches from the regular season, including the doozy between the Seahawks and...
more

NFL Network will be replaying Super Bowl I between the Green Bay Packers and Kansas City Chiefs at 8 p.m. ET on Friday. For the broadcast, NFL Films stitched together all 145 of the game's plays that were gathered and restored from a couple dozen sou...
more

The Playoff Power Rankings are in, Divisional Round style, with the dirty dozen ranked below ... ... or perhaps 11 teams and a dirty 12th. That's the perception of the Bungled Bengals from fans after watching the finest example of giving away a pla...
more

Wild Card Weekend: Coolest football weekend of the year, man. When I was a kid, Championship Sunday was my favorite. Yet, after watching enough blowouts in the '80s, this weekend morphed into the best. Yes, I like this more than the Divisional Roun...
more

Wild Card Weekend: Coolest football weekend of the year, man. When I was a kid, Championship Sunday was my favorite. Yet, after watching enough blowouts in the '80s, this weekend morphed into the best. Yes, I like this more than the Divisional Roun...
more

The final Power Rankings tally of the season ... the regular season, anyway. Appropriate for the zany 2015 campaign is the tumultuous rejiggering of the top 10 -- and beyond! You'll see that, beyond No. 1, nearly every ballclub in the NFL moved up...
more

Week 17 game picks are in ... It's the last week we will be able to delve into the matchups that make an NFL season so fun. This was far and away the most difficult year to pick games, based on all the mediocrity and disproportionate amount of inju...
more

Week 17 game picks are in ... It's the last week we will be able to delve into the matchups that make an NFL season so fun. This was far and away the most difficult year to pick games, based on all the mediocrity and disproportionate amount of inju...
more

Arizona is still good. The Panthers are, too, even though they finally lost. Brandon Weeden isn't losing. Calvin Johnson might be counting the days in Detroit. And somebody wake up the Chiefs and remind them that they are, in fact, the Chiefs. Week...
more

To celebrate Super Bowl 50, NFL Media's Elliot Harrison is looking back at each of the 19 Super Bowl rematches on the regular-season schedule in 2015, revisiting the clashes of the past as former Super Sunday opponents square off once again. This...
more

It might as well be playoff time ... The way things are shaking out, more playoff scenarios could be decided this week than next. That includes the final NFC wild-card spot (courtesy of the Lake Minnetonka offense), at least one AFC wild-card bid...
more

It might as well be playoff time ... The way things are shaking out, more playoff scenarios could be decided this week than next. That includes the final NFC wild-card spot (courtesy of the Lake Minnetonka offense), at least one AFC wild-card bid...
more

Consistency at the top -- that is the theme of the Week 16 Power Rankings. That's a good thing, right? After all, shouldn't we know who the premier teams in the NFL are after 15 weeks of play? The Panthers survived , with their Superman saving the...
more

Teeth-grinding time in the NFL. Wear your retainer. We are heading into the final three-game stretch of the season, with teams fighting for playoff positioning and the fringe squads hoping to go on a miracle run ... and maybe get a little help alon...
more

Teeth-grinding time in the NFL. Wear your retainer. We are heading into the final three-game stretch of the season, with teams fighting for playoff positioning and the fringe squads hoping to go on a miracle run ... and maybe get a little help alon...
more

To celebrate Super Bowl 50, NFL Media's Elliot Harrison is looking back at each of the 19 Super Bowl rematches on the regular-season schedule in 2015, revisiting the clashes of the past as former Super Sunday opponents square off once again. This...
more

Super Bowl XLIX, 2.0. Based on how the Seahawks and Patriots went to work in Week 14, we would be in for a treat if those teams linked up on Super Sunday again. Thus, the Power Rankings see Seattle and New England climb the ranks, while the top two...
more

Week 14 is upon us, complete with potential playoff previews, what may amount to early elimination games and classic matchups that remind us of of classic NFC playoff battles ... Redskins at Bears and Cowboys at Packers fit the bill. Elsewhere .....
more

Week 14 is upon us, complete with potential playoff previews, what may amount to early elimination games and classic matchups that remind us of of classic NFC playoff battles ... Redskins at Bears and Cowboys at Packers fit the bill. Elsewhere .....
more

The not-so-ugly reared their heads this weekend. Week 14 Power Rankings are in, with a nod to the teams many of us thought were formidable in the preseason finally making their moves. The Seahawks dominated the Vikings . The Steelers trounced the...
more

December football. Playoff-push time, cold-weather time and time for defenses to rise up and take hold of the NFL. Not predicting any barn burners in Week 13, with many a close contest to help sort out the wild-card swamp pit that exists in both...
more

December football. Playoff-push time, cold-weather time and time for defenses to rise up and take hold of the NFL. Not predicting any barn burners in Week 13, with many a close contest to help sort out the wild-card swamp pit that exists in both...
more

Stretch-run time, man. The Week 13 NFL Power Rankings are in, with teams across the league gearing up for these last five weeks of the regular season. No more byes, no more holiday triple-headers and no more time for excuses around this year's "it"...
more

Heading into Super Bowl 50, NFL Media is looking to answer one simple question: What is the greatest Super Bowl ever? So, taking the top 32 Super Bowl's from Elliot Harrison's all-time rankings , we've set up a bracket. Now the power is in your...
more

Turkey Day Treats, that's what we have to be thankful for ... courtesy of the NFL's Week 12 sked. Knowing that so many of you football heads will be spending time with family, and because of the release of "Creed" (which has to be better than "Rock...
more

The field of candidates for the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Class of 2016 was trimmed from 108 modern-era nominees to 25 semifinalists on Tuesday. NFL Media historian Elliot Harrison ranks the 25 former players and coaches based on who he thinks mos...
more

The day of the backup quarterback ... Week 12 Power Rankings were as heavily influenced as ever by men who usually wear OxiClean jerseys while holding clipboards and maybe even Trapper Keepers . No less than five reserves reserved their right to a...
more

To celebrate Super Bowl 50, NFL Media's Elliot Harrison is looking back at each of the 19 Super Bowl rematches on the regular-season schedule in 2015, revisiting the clashes of the past as former Super Sunday opponents square off once again. This...
more

What a horrible time to prognosticate games. Consider the week that was . Who had the hapless Lions taking down the Pack at Lambeau ? Which fan, base besides #ChiefsKingdom, foresaw the whuppin' (and benching) that took place in Denver? Which...
more

The NFL's wildest week yet -- at least in terms of who beat who -- closed last night in Cincinnati with yet another upset. Week 11 Power Rankings reflect the wacky nature of the league these days, with nearly every team besides the top-ranked Patr...
more

To celebrate Super Bowl 50, NFL Media's Elliot Harrison is looking back at each of the 19 Super Bowl rematches on the regular-season schedule in 2015, revisiting the clashes of the past as former Super Sunday opponents square off once again. Today, h...
more

Cardinals at Seahawks ... it just don't get no better than this . The top-flight game on the Week 10 slate is certainly not the only tantalizing matchup, as many people have circled Patriots-Giants and, of course, Rex Ryan facing his former team o...
more

We are cruising into the double-digit weeks, folks. January implications abound, with the top of the Power Rankings starting to look more like the playoff field. The Patriots keep winning, making many wonder if they'll ever lose. The Steelers won t...
more

We're halfway home ... and, thankfully, alllmost done with the bye weeks. Six -- count 'em -- six teams are off this week, which will at least make the standings easier to read. Unless you're used to reading baseball standings and seeing the Balt...
more

It's midseason. Quite an appropriate time to peruse the general ledger of the NFL and attempt to sort out where the teams stand in our Week 9 Power Rankings. This week on NFL.com, you'll find our analysts' predictions on the major awards, playoff...
more

To celebrate Super Bowl 50, NFL Media's Elliot Harrison is looking back at each of the 19 Super Bowl rematches on the regular-season schedule in 2015, revisiting the clashes of the past as former Super Sunday opponents square off once again. This...
more

Sizzling matchups all around in Week 8 ... Come on, man: Dolphins at Patriots , Bengals at Steelers , Packers at Broncos . And can you imagine, if Tony Romo were healthy, how fun Seahawks at Cowboys would be? One underrated showdown that really...
more

Continuity is the theme of the Week 8 Power Rankings. This week's hierarchy features a familiar ruling class. Considering three of the top five teams were off last week, though, that was to be expected. Still, the campaigning has already begun ......
more

To celebrate Super Bowl 50, NFL Media's Elliot Harrison is looking back at each of the 19 Super Bowl rematches on the regular-season schedule in 2015, revisiting the clashes of the past as former Super Sunday opponents square off once again. This...
more

The Week 7 picks are in, and ... The Bills want to play a different brand of defense , Todd Gurley might rush for two bills and, no matter what, Griff Whalen will not be asked to go out in fake-punt formation ... @HarrisonNFL you know I do. Greg...
more

The story of the Week 7 Power Rankings revolves around five protagonists: The Unbeaten. While the Falcons earned their first blemish in Week 6, the Patriots, Packers, Bengals, Broncos and a pesky group from the South keep plugging away. cmon...
more

To celebrate Super Bowl 50, NFL Media's Elliot Harrison is looking back at each of the 19 Super Bowl rematches on the regular-season schedule in 2015, revisiting the clashes of the past as former Super Sunday opponents square off once again. This...
more

The Week 6 Power Rankings are in, and we have a new No. 1, folks. OK, so you probably saw the headline. But I just want to make sure Carsen Willey doesn't jump the gun: I already have 3 disapproving tweets saved in my drafts to send to @HarrisonN...
more

Which of the undefeateds will stay so in Week 5? That's why the Game Picks are here, to answer that burning question. We don't care about the rest of the teams. Actually, you'll find good fodder on all the matchups this weekend. And you'll also s...
more

The Week 5 Power Rankings are here -- and so is some serious movement. Yes, at the quarter pole, we're reshuffling the deck. Hey, but that's what makes this whole deal fun, right? Almost as fun as poring over the fine print in the NFL rulebook ......
more

To celebrate Super Bowl 50, NFL Media's Elliot Harrison is looking back at each of the 19 Super Bowl rematches on the regular-season schedule in 2015, revisiting the clashes of the past as former Super Sunday opponents square off once again. This...
more

Backup quarterbacks rule the day ... ... or, at least, start the day. How long does the Cowboys' Brandon Weeden have in New Orleans? What if Jimmy Clausen has to go again for the Bears? Ditto Luke McCown for the Saints, although I think Drew Brees...
more

If any team can beat Green Bay in Green Bay, please step forward ... Week 4 Power Rankings are here, and there is no movement at the very top. Why? Because Aaron Rodgers keeps Meryl Streeping his peers. We should state that the top five remains f...
more

To celebrate Super Bowl 50, NFL Media's Elliot Harrison is looking back at each of the 19 Super Bowl rematches on the regular-season schedule in 2015, revisiting the clashes of the past as former Super Sunday opponents square off once again. This...
more

Hard to believe Week 3 is already upon us ... Kam with a "K" is back . Cam with a "C" is looking to go 3-0 . John Football isn't getting to play with his football this weekend. Chancellor's return to the Seahawks should signal dominance ahead f...
more

And just like that, the NFC East has been made whole again ... There was a time, long before the Week 3 Power Rankings, that the East was the division in pro football. You had Bill Parcells' Giants, Joe Gibbs' Redskins, Tom Landry's Cowboys and Bu...
more

To celebrate Super Bowl 50, NFL Media's Elliot Harrison is looking back at each of the 19 Super Bowl rematches on the regular-season schedule in 2015, revisiting the clashes of the past as former Super Sunday opponents square off once again. This...
more

Can the Bills get to 2-0? Will the Cowboys' O show up in Philly sans Dez ? Are the Ravens in danger of dropping to 0-2 for the first time in the John Harbaugh era? Questions like those abound as we enter the NFL's second stanza. Below you will...
more

Embrace the Monday Night doubleheader! (Argh, how it wreaks havoc on having the Week 2 Power Rankings done in time ...) There are those who would take a weekly MNF double-dip over TNF, but I don't see that happening. Thursday Night Football has bec...
more

Ninety years ago, the biggest college football star in the country, Red Grange, went on a 17-game barnstorming tour to help George Halas promote his young football team. The Bears gained instant pub, as did the still-fresh-out-of-the-box NFL. That...
more

To celebrate Super Bowl 50, NFL Media's Elliot Harrison is looking back at each of the 19 Super Bowl rematches on the regular-season schedule in 2015, revisiting the clashes of the past as former Super Sunday opponents square off once again. This...
more

The NFL's 96th campaign is looming. Two days . You know that means? Bring on the Jimmy Graham-Seahawks hype train. No more Tom Brady courtroom drama (at least for now ) -- although Chris Long made that quite fun for those of us who saw "Poltergeist...
more

Is Green Bay going 13-3 ... or 9-7? What about, say, the Dolphins? Are they an 11-5 AFC East division winner ... or destined to toil in the sub-.500 range? With the all-important third week of the preseason in the rearview, I've been assigned to...
more

Is Green Bay going 13-3 ... or 9-7? What about, say, the Dolphins? Are they an 11-5 AFC East division winner ... or destined to toil in the sub-.500 range? With the all-important third week of the preseason in the rearview, I've been assigned to...
more

Antonio Brown caught 129 balls last season -- the second-highest single-season total in NFL history -- including 13 TD grabs. Oh, and in case you didn't already think of him in superstar terms, he took a punt to the house just to show you what's up....
more

If only we could go back in time two months ... The Pro Football Hall of Fame announced Wednesday that legendary Raiders quarterback Ken Stabler and Lions All-Pro guard Dick Stanfel would be the Seniors Committee nominees for the Class of 2016. Bo...
more

The Hall of Fame Game has finally come and gone, which means ... yep, you guessed it: the first Power Rankings of the 2015 season. This time of year continues to trick us every season. Summer football teases, with hope springing eternal for every...
more

The Pro Football Hall of Fame just enshrined the Class of 2015 ... which means this is the perfect time to predict who will be in the Class of 2016 . Who will comprise what promises to be an esteemed group of legends? I'll go with five players, on...
more

There have been many great players in the history of the NFL. There are 295 Hall of Famers. And there have been perhaps fewer than 100 transcendent players in 10 decades of the sport. Frank Gifford was a transcendent person in pro football. He w...
more

With another round of Hall of Famers set to be enshrined Saturday, NFL Media historian Elliot Harrison gets you up to speed on the Class of 2015, providing one thing you need to know about each man getting a bust in Canton. Jerome Bettis, running...
more

In a football sense, "The Snake" deserved better. Every year, around this time of summer, the talk of Hall of Fame -- who's in and who should be in -- starts to creep up. And, every year for the last 20 or so, fans have asked where's Ken Stabler?...
more

We all saw the catch . No. 13 in standard Giants blue, going up with one hand outstretched above (and behind) his body to snag a touchdown for New York. Many things in pro football are overstated; nothing about this catch was. Odell Beckham Jr....
more

We see it all the time these days, athletic tight ends running down the seam, making huge plays over the middle. Call it the modern tight end via the modern passing game. Charlie Sanders , who passed away Thursday at age 68, was the modern tight e...
more

Who is your front man of choice? Eddie Vedder? David Lee Roth? Gordon Lightfoot? OK, many of you probably haven't heard of that last guy, but most assuredly you all know the NFL's 32 front men -- that is to say, the 32 head coaches I...
more

Earlier this month, the San Diego Chargers announced that they're retiring LaDainian Tomlinson's number (21) with an official ceremony in November. It's a well-deserved honor for one of the best NFL players of the new millennium. That got us thinkin...
more

Here's guessing you've heard enough Adrian Peterson news to last you for as many months as he was gone. And you're probably Ndamukong Suh'd out. The Tom Brady saga? We won't go there. Those stories -- along with the Saints trading Jimmy Graham to...
more

Green Bay and Seattle. Seattle and Green Bay. Packers and Seahawks. Cheeseheads and 12's ... If you've been paying attention to the NFL offseason and how people are speculating about the league's top teams, you've probably learned by now that most...
more

Chris Harris lined up for over 1,000 plays last season, and not one ended with his receiver carrying the ball in the end zone. The Denver Broncos defender -- and former undrafted college free agent -- managed to put together the m...
more

John Elway oozed toughness as a player, always answering the gut checks pro football demands. Think of Elway selling out on a leap to win a Lombardi Trophy at age 37, or putting his body through the rigors of an injury-filled final campaign to repea...
more

"Re-signing will always be sexier than signing." -- No one ever So far, our "Make the Right Call" series has covered seven teams, all of whom have dealt with the arrival or departure of a big name or two, either on the roster or in the coach's...
more

On Wednesday, the 11th- and 10th-ranked quarterbacks (Matt Ryan, No. 77, and Cam Newton, No. 73) in "The Top 100 Players of 2015" were revealed on NFL Network. While we wait to see how the upper crust at the game's most important position shakes out...
more

It seemed like a chic pick at the time. Indianapolis Colts vs. Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl 50. That was my call two months ago. And while I remain pretty confident in the NFC aspect of that prediction, I'm feeling a bit more wishy-washy abou...
more

They were as close to winning another Lombardi Trophy as you can get. Only the "wide right" Bills and turn-of-the-millennium Titans could truly understand the feeling that's surely enveloped the Seahawks over the past three months. Losing the Super...
more

2015 NFL Draft ... done. Free agency ... largely in the books, too. So what's next? A whole lot of speculation. And with that, it's an appropriate time to take a snapshot of how the league's 32 member clubs stack up against one another with a...
more

The NFL draft's return to Chicago got a thumbs-up -- and, after all that hype, Tennessee finally traded down. OK, so maybe the Titans waited a day to do it . On Day 1, of course, the team stuck with Marcus Mariota despite the fact they likely coul...
more

In a series leading up to the 2015 NFL Draft, NFL Media historian Elliot Harrison will rank the five best rookie seasons from the Super Bowl era at each major position group. Previously, Elliot examined wide receivers , defensive linemen and quarter...
more

Travis Frederick and Zack Martin. The former, a second-team All-Pro last season; the latter, the first rookie O-lineman to earn first-team All-Pro honors since 1947 . Both were draft picks that many initially questioned -- in 2013, Dallas passed on...
more

Did the Philadelphia Eagles make the right call/trade/release/acquisition? Maybe we should back up here. The Eagles jettisoned and took on so many big names this offseason, it's hard to remember some of the less sexy transactions -- like, say, the...
more

Who will move up to get Marcus Mariota ? Who will sell the farm to get Marcus Mariota ? Who will sell their Rivers for Marcus Mariota ? (OK, dumb question.) Which team might not go in the direction we all think it will? What is your team's...
more

Who will move up to get Marcus Mariota ? Who will sell the farm to get Marcus Mariota ? Who will sell their Rivers for Marcus Mariota ? (OK, dumb question.) Which team might not go in the direction we all think it will? What is your team's...
more

Having pored over the 2015 NFL schedule, Elliot Harrison highlights the best of the action set to play out under the lights in his prime-time primer. Have your own favorites on the after-dark slate? Hit him up @HarrisonNFL . THE KICKOFF GAME:...
more

Fifteen for '15. Hard to believe, but it's already time to look at the top 15 matchups of 2015 . I seriously just got used to writing the "15" on my checks -- yes, some of us still use prehistoric checkbooks -- and here we are, analyzing the 2015...
more

In a series leading up to the 2015 NFL Draft, NFL Media historian Elliot Harrison will rank the five best rookie seasons from the Super Bowl era at each major position group. Previously, Elliot examined wide receivers and defensive linemen ; today,...
more

It isn't exactly easy-peasy letting the best defensive back in football walk out the door. That is precisely what the New England Patriots' offseason will be remembered for: avoiding the giant paycheck owed to the enemy-turned-ally who helped the...
more

In a series leading up to the 2015 NFL Draft, NFL Media historian Elliot Harrison will rank the five best rookie seasons from the Super Bowl era at each major position group. Previously, Elliot examined wide receivers ; today, he spotlights defensive...
more

Success in the NFL often comes down to making the right decision at crucial junctures. Elliot Harrison examines some of the busiest teams this offseason and considers whether the moves they've made will pay off in the 2015 campaign. CLICK ON EACH TEA...
more

When the Chicago Bears hired Ryan Pace as general manager back in early January, it seemed like all anyone could do was feel old. The guy looks younger than ... well ... you, and in an odd tribute to Chicago lore, he resembles Cameron from "Ferris...
more

Making the right call ... not an easy thing to do consistently in an NFL offseason. Especially for a general manager like Mike Maccagnan, who had many to make in his first few months on the job with the New York Jets. And speaking of, did the team...
more

In a series leading up to the 2015 NFL Draft, NFL Media historian Elliot Harrison will rank the five best rookie seasons from the Super Bowl era at each major position group. Today, he reminisces about the first-year phenoms at wide receiver. TOUG...
more

Chuck Bednarik, known as one of the all-time greatest tacklers, died Saturday at the age of 89. (John G. Zimmerman/Sports Illustrated) It was a picture that defined a career. The famous shot of Philadelphia Eagles star Chuck Bednarik...
more

You think there's been enough NFL news lately? Maybe enough to, oh, review and re-order 32 clubs all trying to build a team to reach Super Bowl 50? The transactions, signings, retirements, extensions and visits must have your head spinning. Well, u...
more

It's time to pick the best and brightest of the NFL youth for my third annual All-Under-25 Team. Always a fun exercise, though it can be difficult deciding on 26 players. All nominees for this list must be younger than 25 come opening day of the 2015...
more

Leonard Nimoy has passed away, so for a huge fan of the original "Star Trek," consider this a diversion into something speculative, but light. Mr. Spock was always lovable but logical, and we have endeavored to be the same while pairing some big...
more

What better way to close the book on the 2014 season than engaging in a little February 2015 NFL Power Rankings? With a bevy of coaching changes made, the postseason completed and the greatest individual effort in Super Bowl history freshly etched...
more

PHOENIX -- You might have caught the NFL Honors show on Saturday night. I barely caught any. Standing backstage with the eight men who were told of their coming induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, it was hard to pay attention to anything e...
more

U mad bro? Yeah, OK, I'm a little salty. How in the heck is Charles Haley not in the Pro Football Hall of Fame? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? The only thing worse than a guy with five Super Bowl rings and 100 career sacks having to wait this lon...
more

Parity. Through my early adulthood, this was an ugly word in the world of pro football. While the vision of former NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue, it often seemed like code for "mediocrity." A bunch of teams, evenly matched, not too bad, not too g...
more

What's the greatest Super Bowl of all time? That's what I've endeavored to answer with this photo essay, with the help of former Dallas Cowboys personnel guru and NFL Media analyst Gil Brandt. You'll see his recollections in some of the gam...
more

Could you pick between Cris Carter and Michael Irvin? A couple of decades ago, that was a difficult proposition, about as tough a call as as there was. In 1995, Carter caught 122 balls (for the second consecutive year), racking up 1,371 yards and 1...
more

I can still see Ty Law picking Peyton Manning clean along the left sideline. It was 11 years ago in some crappy conditions at Gillette, and it was the last time the Patriots hosted the Colts in an AFC Championship Game . It wasn't the last time New...
more

With the Divisional Round in the rearview, the NFL Power Rankings lie ahead -- you're only a few paragraphs away, I promise! But before you continue reading, please complete whatever task you were doing by making a football move. Another week of pl...
more

Playoff football. Divisional playoff football. Health ball. Well, that's how I think of it. Yes, it's late in the season, but this is a time of renewed health. Think about it: No one gets a regular-season bye after Thanksgiving, yet half of this...
more

We have thrown the NFL Postseason Power Rankings out there. You'd better read them before we pick 'em up ... Yes, everyone's still talking about Sunday's flag fiasco in Dallas . The Lions got jobbed, at least in the eyes of many, in a game as hotly...
more

It's Wild Card Weekend, and while we don't want to step on anyone's toes -- er, ankle -- I am going with all the home teams. Important to note: I believe I am a first-time offender -- i.e., in the past, I have always picked at least one road team i...
more

The end-of-regular-season NFL Power Rankings are upon us. Call it a time to take stock, look back and, for several teams around the league, look ahead . Perhaps no organization fits that bill more than the one in the Bay Area. No, not the Raiders -...
more

Can you believe we're here? Week 17? Seems like just a couple of months ago we were talking about whether the Dallas Cowboys would win five games, how big of a year Nick Foles was going to have, and whether Marshawn Lynch was really crazy enough to...
more

A few quarterbacks flat-out did not want to leave their teams' playoff fates to the football gods last weekend. And it shows in this week's NFL Power Rankings ... Matt Ryan was dealin' in New Orleans on Sunday , while Cam Newton showed true grit in...
more

It's time to make some game picks. It's time to do some postseason accounting. And it's time for Jimmy Football. Jimmy Clausen makes his starting debut in Chicago in a game that carries much weight in the playoff race. OK, not for the home team. I...
more

The field of candidates for the Pro Football Hall of Fame 's Class of 2015 was narrowed from 113 modern-era nominees to 26 semifinalists in November. Ahead of January's cutdown to 15 finalists, NFL Media historian Elliot Harrison ranks each of the...
more

Click here to watch the full NFL NOW Power Rankings show with Elliot Harrison and Bucky Brooks. The Week 16 NFL Power Rankings are in, with an annual reminder for football fans far and wide ... Take a close look at the teams that won important...
more

It's that time of the week: Let's pick some games, people. Week 15 is the last stanza in the relatively calm section of the regular season. In other words, head coaches, front offices and fan bases won't take off on a Triple Lindy dive into full-s...
more

Week 15 Power Rankings have got you covered -- and yes, we even decide to cover Julio Jones. The Packers didn't, but considering they could have put up another 50-burger if they'd wanted to, we're not removing them from the top spot. A week after...
more

Are the Cardinals plummeting? Is Green Bay going to keep up this general shellacking of our little pro football league? Is the "bully" back in the Pacific Northwest? We'll get to Seattle in a second. But before we jump into the Week 14 picks, it s...
more

'Tis the season to give thanks, for playoff-push football is upon us ... ... and so are the Week 14 NFL Power Rankings. With merely a month to go, the AFC wild-card race will be a dogfight, with one team at 8-4, six teams at 7-5 and another at 6...
more

It's Thanksgiving. Time to pick between cranberries (thumbs down) and stuffing (thumbs up). It's also time to pick some games, and thus I present you with the Week 13 picks below. Before we get to that, we have a little accounting to do. This Power...
more

The Turkey Week NFL Power Rankings are in -- appropriate, following a weekend in which there were plenty of turkeys, including ... Â» Robert Griffin III setting himself up for failure , with a helping hand from Jay Gruden. Â» Mike Smith, Matt Rya...
more

Week 12 NFL game picks are in! Week 12 NFL game picks are in! OK, we'll quit with the faux enthusiasm. There's still some bitterness regarding the Power Rankings -- or, rather, how many fans are still unhappy with them. And we have a couple of oth...
more

The field of candidates for the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Class of 2015 was narrowed from 113 modern-era nominees to 26 semifinalists on Tuesday . NFL Media historian Elliot Harrison takes a look at five former players who deserve to be enshrined...
more

Week 12 NFL Power Rankings are in, as is one mid-November ballot for the MVP ... That debate will be heating up soon, so we thought we would get a jump-start on it before Thanksgiving. And while the Patriots are our certifiable No. 1 for the third...
more

So "Godzilla" was on last night. It was the 2014 version. Besides Bryan Cranston's wig clearly breaking bad , all I could think about was the 1960s movie "King Kong vs. Godzilla." Godzilla was supposed to be several-hundred feet tall, and King Ko...
more

A common query around the NFL Media office today: "Can you believe it's Week 11 already?" Yes, yes I can. I'm tired. The 32 teams are playing like 32 individual operations that can respond in 32 different ways to a matchup, making the NFL Power...
more

The rules of making Week 10 Game picks: a) Make them before having two frozen strawberry margaritas at a Mexican joint with a colleague. b) Do them after Friday's injury report, not in the early morning on Thursday, when I'm doing them. c) Abo...
more

Let's do some Power Ranking, folks. But first, a few notes on the state of things at the outset of November: a) At this point, head-to-head matchups are mostly going out the window. b) Refer to "a" regarding early September football. c) Injur...
more

Let's talk some game picks ... Look, I'm not dumb. I know you usually skip this part to get straight to your team's blurb. I can write all I want about "The Cannonball Run" or "13 Going on 30," and you'll never notice. I could tell you Jennifer G...
more

Here we are at the midpoint of the season, and the NFL Power Rankings are hot off the iPad. This is what I was honestly thinking, right in the wake of Week 8's action: Schein: The team to beat in 2014 Adam Schein explains why the Broncos are cle...
more

The Week 8 picks are in ... and we just missed out on getting a chance to see the top two teams in our NFL Power Rankings face off on Thursday. That's right: Until Week 7, the Chargers were right behind the No. 1 Broncos. And they would have gotten...
more

Did you think the Raiders' teams that won Super Bowls XI, XV, and XVIII were pretty memorable? Too old of a reference for you? OK, how about this one: Could Brett Favre play? Not to be cute, but there is one guy who made sure -- oftentimes behi...
more

NFL Power Rankings for Week 8 are here -- and for the first time this month, we don't have a new No. 1. Much grumbling in the comments and on twitterdom (@HarrisonNFL ) over the Chargers being toppled in the Power Rankings by the Broncos last week...
more

Seems like it was just the other night that Andre Reed was yelling -- in a high-school football stadium, no less -- about how the Bills would stay in Buffalo. That prognostication, made at the 2014 Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrinement ceremony, cam...
more

Seems like it was just the other night that Andre Reed was yelling -- in a high-school football stadium, no less -- about how the Bills would stay in Buffalo. That prognostication, made at the 2014 Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrinement ceremony, cam...
more

Week 7 game picks are in, and they feature some seriously fun matchups: Â» Carolina at Green Bay: Two hot quarterbacks facing off. Â» Kansas City at San Diego: Maybe the best game of the weekend. Â» San Francisco at Denver: OK, so you...
more

This is my ninth season covering the NFL, and I have never seen anything like this. The whole damn league is as unpredictable as ever. Forget parity. Call it parody . The Giants were the new hot team. Thumped. The Bengals were playing like the...
more

Week 6 of the 2014 NFL season is here -- along with the inevitable issues stemming from team depth. Who starts at quarterback for the Cardinals? How will the Bengals hold up without receiver A.J. Green ? The poor Panthers are completely decimated...
more

Solidification draws nearer as the moving and shaking ramps down. That's the story after Week 5 , as it always seems to be. Now is the time of the season when we get a lucid read on where teams stack up, where they deserve to be and where they migh...
more

It's usually around Week 5 when we identify the quality teams and learn which matchups are most important. My Week 4? Always stinks. Having done the NFL.com picks for the last three years, I can tell you that this week is usually the time of the sea...
more

Wildly unpredictable and volatile movement. That's your Week 5 Power Rankings! The Patriots and Saints were hammered, and their continual lackluster play means no more blind faith that they'll turn things around. Meanwhile, we're starting to g...
more

Ah ... the byes are here. Who doesn't love bye weeks, which have been giving your favorite team a week off since 1990? Fans of the Bengals, Broncos, Browns, Cardinals, Rams and Seahawks all will have to watch someone else play in Week 4 -- or...
more

Week 3 of the 2014 season is in the books, and half the NFL is in the trainer's room. ... We talk about injuries every year, but this year, it seems like the missing in action are becoming as much of a story as those in action. Dennis Pitta,...
more

After the news this week, who couldn't use some games? Ah, games. Sure is nice to talk football. When the toughest thing to discuss is who's going to win, well ... that's what I'm talking about. And on that note, there are a couple of matchups t...
more

What a finish in Indy on Monday night. And what a week of players falling to injury . Week 2 is just barely in the books, and we're already talking about all the hurt players, from Jamaal Charles to Knowshon Moreno to A.J. Green to DeSean Jackson...
more

Week 2 Game Picks are here, friends. Let's hope it goes better than Week 1, when we went 9-7, dropping the two overtime games in heartbreaking fashion on Sunday while the Chargers fell apart Monday night. Trying to decipher who's for real...
more

Dolphins over Patriots , Titans over Chiefs , Jaguars over Eagles ... ... OK, that last one only looked like it would happen for a bit. Heck, Jacksonville getting up 17-0 on Philly counts as an upset, considering the way things have gone for that...
more

Take the shot, Ice ... take the shot ... Yeah, I've felt like Mav for about a week now. No one wants to take a shot at Viper -- er, I mean, the games on tap for Week 1 of the 2014 NFL season. Well, I'm not scared. There are a myriad of toug...
more

Real games? ... Check. Real football? ... Check. NFL.com Power Rankings? ... Check. Predictions for the 2014 NFL season Who will win major awards? Which teams will make the playoffs? Who will lift the Lombardi Trophy? Our analysts weigh in. R...
more

If you were paying attention Tuesday and read stuff on NFL.com beyond that story about a guard getting traded for a draft pick and a (backup) tight end, you might have noticed that I looked at the floor and ceiling for all 16 teams in the NFC . Now...
more

Just crystal ball, baby. If Al Davis was a prognosticator, or an NFL.com hack like me, that would be his slogan. That said, building a winner in the 1970s seems a whole lot easier than predicting one in the 2000s. The Salary Cap Era is truly its ow...
more

While catching up on HBO's Hard Knocks on Wednesday night, I couldn't help but think of Mick Tingelhoff. The five-time first-team All-Pro center, who was named as the 2015 nominee of the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Senior Committee earlier that...
more

Somewhere in the neighborhood of five months from now, The Associated Press will pick the top players of the 2014 season. We've decided to do it now. Our NFL.com Preseason All-Pro Team follows the AP's selection process, besides the fact that we ha...
more

Somewhere in the neighborhood of five months from now, The Associated Press will pick the top players of the 2014 season. We've decided to do it now. Our NFL.com Preseason All-Pro Team follows the AP's selection process, besides the fact tha...
more

CANTON, Ohio -- Standing in Fawcett Stadium on Saturday night, I wondered if this is what it feels like to be a Dolphins fan vacationing in Western New York. My aqua-checked button-down stuck out like a sore thumb in a sea of Bills jerseys. They were...
more

Given Bill Belichick's respect around the league, and the fact that he's the object of weekly praise by broadcasters from CA to MA, isn't it a touch striking that his Patriots haven't won the Super Bowl since the 2004 season? Yes, Belichick has set...
more

Given Bill Belichick's respect around the league, and the fact that he's praised weekly by broadcasters from CA to MA, isn't it a touch striking that his Patriots haven't won the Super Bowl since the 2004 season? Yes, Belichick has set the b...
more

If Jonathan Ogden isn't a fan of being left off this list, he could certainly display that disappointment by squashing me like a bug. Whether you're 5-foot-9, 166 pounds, or 6-5 and pushing three bills, Ogden could have his way with you. All too of...
more

Santonio Holmes' iconic catch in Super Bowl XLIII , the one you've seen many times, came on second-and-goal from the Arizona Cardinals' six. Pittsburgh was down a field goal. Backdrop is as important as anything when determining the top plays of th...
more

Like many of the other 10-year spans we've covered in Decades Month thus far, the 1990s were absolutely packed with great players, which made narrowing down the 20 best quite challenging -- as those who read my takes on the top talent from the '70s...
more

The 2014 NFL Rookie Symposium is underway in Aurora, Ohio. The objective of this annual event: to help newcomers in their transition to life in the league. Over the years, a number of guys have been able to fit in seamlessly -- taking the NFL by s...
more

If you're in your later 30s or pushing middle-of-the-road status, then you know the impact Kellen Winslow had on pro football. If not, you've at least seen his son have some big games in the NFL. Kellen Winslow II's dad was among the myriad stando...
more

Last week, I revealed the five biggest plays of the 1970s . Rolling along in NFL Network's "Decades Month," I was asked to rinse, wash and repeat for the 1980s. Take a look back at some of the most memorable images of the 1980s. The '70s list featu...
more

Some say a man's best work goes hand in hand with his finest accomplishments. For example, a performance that nets an actor an Academy Award must , the thinking often goes, have been the best of his or her career. But that isn't really always the cas...
more

If you liked disco, Farrah Fawcett posters and Trans Am hood birds , then you'll love this list. Take a look back at some of the most memorable images of the 1970s. It's "Decades Month" here at NFL Network/NFL.com, and this week is dedicated to an...
more

Take your pick. Throw all the most scintillating and historical plays in the history of the NFL into a big bag and, believe it or not, you have about a 50 percent shot of pulling out one from the 1970s. Seriously, that many huge moments came from...
more

Have you ever seen anyone run more prettily than Gale Sayers? Me neither. That's why, when tasked with selecting the best plays of the 1960s, I had to include the Kansas Comet on my list. Yes, as part of NFL Media's "'60s Week," I was presented wi...
more

It's "'60s Week" at NFL Network! Yes, throughout the month of June, we're celebrating different decades of the league's history. Of course, these decades don't just represent 10-year periods, but rather benchmarks in the development of America's ga...
more

On Wednesday, I crowned the single greatest player in the history of each AFC franchise . Today I continue with the NFC installment, which predictably presented similar dilemmas. After agonizing over who deserves top-dog status for AFC teams like...
more

Perhaps you've been watching "The Top 100 Players of 2014." There's some interesting fodder for debate there, and not just in terms of player pecking order -- it's fascinating to see which teams have the most representation and which have barely any...
more

Who has made the most of their offseason? Since January, every front office has been trying to put its best foot forward, as there is no slowdown in the NFL calendar until June. Unfortunately, the clubs that haven't handled this period well in the...
more

The 2014 NFL Draft is in the rearview. Thankfully, we have two months of top-10 shows to look forward to ... Oh, but that's not true, as rookie minicamps crop up on the calendar and the Michael Sam saga rolls on. Brooks: Draft grades Bucky Brooks...
more

NEW YORK -- Sitting on set next to Jadeveon Clowney on Thursday night, moments before we were to go on live for "NFL Draft Xtra," a pretty weird feeling came through my sweat-soaked suit: This dude's life is about to change. I mean, Clowney had jus...
more

The 2014 NFL Draft represents a prime opportunity for teams to shore up positions of need with an injection of fresh, young talent. As Day 1 in Radio City Music Hall draws closer, Elliot Harrison will be taking a division-by-division look at the draf...
more

The 2014 NFL Draft represents a prime opportunity for teams to shore up positions of need with an injection of fresh, young talent. As Day 1 in Radio City Music Hall draws closer, Elliot Harrison will be taking a division-by-division look at the draf...
more

The 2014 NFL Draft represents a prime opportunity for teams to shore up positions of need with an injection of fresh, young talent. As Day 1 in Radio City Music Hall draws closer, Elliot Harrison will be taking a division-by-division look at the draf...
more

The 2014 NFL Draft represents a prime opportunity for teams to shore up positions of need with an injection of fresh, young talent. As Day 1 in Radio City Music Hall draws closer, Elliot Harrison will be taking a division-by-division look at the draf...
more

The 2014 NFL Draft represents a prime opportunity for teams to shore up positions of need with an injection of fresh, young talent. As Day 1 in Radio City Music Hall draws closer, Elliot Harrison will be taking a division-by-division look at the draf...
more

Gated apartment communities ... the Pontiac Sunbird ... Guns N' Roses breaking up, causing millions of glam fans and punk rockers to unite in grief. Yep, that was 1994. Funny how all those facets of mid-'90s life represent a certain sense of...
more

The 2014 NFL Draft represents a prime opportunity for teams to shore up positions of need with an injection of fresh, young talent. As Day 1 in Radio City Music Hall draws closer, Elliot Harrison will be taking a division-by-division look at the draf...
more

The 2014 NFL Draft represents a prime opportunity for teams to shore up positions of need with an injection of fresh, young talent. As Day 1 in Radio City Music Hall draws closer, Elliot Harrison will be taking a division-by-division look at the draf...
more

The 2014 NFL Draft (May 8-10) represents a prime opportunity for teams to shore up positions of need with an injection of fresh young talent. As Day 1 in Radio City Music Hall draws closer, Elliot Harrison is taking a division-by-division look at the...
more

The 2014 NFL Draft represents a prime opportunity for teams to shore up positions of need with an injection of fresh, young talent. As Day 1 in Radio City Music Hall draws closer, Elliot Harrison will be taking a division-by-division look at the draf...
more

The 2014 NFL schedule is out! And right off the bat, let me tell you: There certainly are some prime-time dandies to plan your football life around. Scrolling through 17 weeks of games, storylines pop up all around the evening features. So Andy Dal...
more

Johnny U. Forget the three MVP awards. Forget that he engineered the biggest end-game drive in the first 50 years of the NFL. Forget the high-top shoes, or that he played until he was 40 ... OK, we'll allow you to remember that he threw a touchdown...
more

As NFL Network wraps up "Dynasty Month" with a celebration of the Dallas Cowboys' legacy, we ask the question of the week ... or the question of the month ... Who was the Joan Collins of the NFL? OK, maybe that was a poor reference to '80s televis...
more

From 1966 to 1985, the Dallas Cowboys had 20 straight winning seasons. That feat seems to have slipped into the nothing-that-happened-before-2000-is-relevant abyss -- but if you think about how incredible the accomplishment was, you realize this migh...
more

From 1966 to 1985, the Dallas Cowboys had 20 straight winning seasons. That feat seems to have slipped into the nothing-that-happened-before-2000-is-relevant abyss -- but if you think about how incredible the accomplishment was, you realize this migh...
more

It's March Madness. That seems like an appropriate term after seeing how the fan voting has gone in our "Greatest Quarterback of All Time" bracket . You just might think everyone has gone mad. NFL.com has challenged fans to pick the top...
more

You don't have to be a Buffalo Bills fan with a Jim Kelly poster on your wall to appreciate Ralph Wilson Jr. In fact, it really doesn't matter whether you love the Jets, worship the Patriots or follow the Broncos' every move, because all of those f...
more

So what, exactly, is a dynasty? In an NFL sense, we've been taught (or told) that a dynasty puts together a run of multiple Super Bowls in a finite window, with at least two Lombardi Trophies to show for it. Well, after trying to put together an...
more

So what, exactly, is a dynasty? In an NFL sense, we've been taught (or told) that a dynasty puts together a run of multiple Super Bowls in a finite window, with at least two Lombardi Trophies to show for it. Well, after tryi...
more

Watching "Pawn Stars" last night brought the realization home that one man's trash is another man's mid-tier free agent. Free-Agent Tracker Follow all the developments on the NFL's open market with our up-to-the-minute tracking of 2014's free ag...
more

No franchise has had more Super Bowl success than the club Art Rooney Sr. built with racetrack money 81 years ago, and picking an all-time team for the "Sixburgh" Steelers is no small feat. This organization has two Hall of Famers at every level o...
more

"Patriots Dynasty Week" reigns supreme on the NFL Network airwaves this week -- suitably celebrating a franchise that has been on quite a run since Y2K. The Boston-turned-New England Patriots will play their 55th season in 2014, but it wasn't until...
more

"Patriots Dynasty Week" reigns supreme on the NFL Network airwaves this week -- suitably celebrating a franchise that has been on quite a run since Y2K. The Boston-turned-New England Patriots will play their 55th season in 2014, but it wasn...
more

Not every need can be met via the draft. So what's a team to do? Thankfully, the free agency period will be here soon. To help get you ready for the opening of the NFL's annual talent marketplace on March 11, Elliot Harrison is taking a...
more

Not every need can be met via the draft. So what's a team to do? Thankfully, the free agency period will be here soon. To help get you ready for the opening of the NFL's annual talent marketplace on March 11, Elliot Harrison is taking a...
more

Not every need can be met via the draft. So what's a team to do? Thankfully, the free agency period will be here soon. To help get you ready for the opening of the NFL's annual talent marketplace on March 11, Elliot Harrison is taking a...
more

Not every need can be met via the draft. So what's a team to do? Thankfully, the free agency period will be here soon. To help get you ready for the opening of the NFL's annual talent marketplace on March 11, Elliot Harrison is taking a...
more

As a part of "Packers Dynasty Week" on NFL Network, I was asked to select Green Bay's all-time team. Simple enough, right? I mean, they've only won 13 titles (including four of the Super Bowl variety) and been in existence for nearly 100 years ... Ea...
more

It should be simple enough to select Green Bay's all-time team, right? I mean, they've only won 13 titles (including four of the Super Bowl variety) and been in existence for nearly 100 years ... Easy peasy. Or not. With a franchise...
more

Not every need can be met via the draft. So what's a team to do? Thankfully, the free agency period will be here soon. To help get you ready for the opening of the NFL's annual talent marketplace on March 11, Elliot Harrison is taking a...
more

Not every need can be met via the draft. So what's a team to do? Thankfully, the free agency period will be here soon. To help get you ready for the opening of the NFL's annual talent marketplace on March 11, Elliot Harrison is taking a...
more

Darron Cummings/Associated Press Still just 25 years old, Ben Tate is due to hit free agency as a hot commodity with strong feature-back potential. Not every need can be met via the draft. So what's a team to do? Thankfully, the free agency...
more

With free agency set to kick off at 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday, March 11, Elliot Harrison identifies needs for all 32 teams over eight divisional primers. Click on each division for full analysis: NFC North Â» Chicago Bears: Downtrodden defense ba...
more

Not every need can be met via the draft. So what's a team to do? Thankfully, the free agency period will be here soon. To help get you ready for the opening of the NFL's annual talent marketplace on March 11, Elliot Harrison is taking a...
more

It's that grab-bag time of year again. Fans look to see how much money their favorite team has to play with, and the daydreaming takes off: Ben Tate could rush for 1,500 yards next year for us! ... Jared Allen isn't too old to get 15 sacks for t...
more

Who are the top young studs in the NFL? Well, I guess that depends on what you consider young . For example, your friendly writer figures anyone under 45 qualifies. In the interest of building the ultimate football team with upside galore, though,...
more

Who are the top young studs in the NFL? Well, I guess that depends on what you consider young . For example, your friendly writer figures anyone under 45 qualifies. In the interest of building the ultimate football team with upside galore, though,...
more

Before Super Bowl XLVIII, I ranked all of the prior Super Bowls from best to worst -- and the order won't really have to change after Sunday's game , which might have been the 48th-best. Actually, come to think of it, 49ers-Broncos in Super Bowl XXI...
more

I'm shocked. The Pro Football Hall of Fame Class for 2014 was just announced, and to say the least, the seven new inductees announced were sure to catch a few folks, or thousands, surprised: Derrick Brooks, Walter Jones, Andre Reed, Michael Strahan...
more

Are you Super Bowl'd out yet? We're going to throw you a bone here and talk about something other than Richard Sherman's take on the larger "thug" conversation and Knowshon Moreno's hurt feelings . (Way to go, LeSean.) Sensitivity is an anci...
more

Super Bowl XLVIII. Can it be the best of all time? It has the potential. The top offense will meet the top defense, possibly in adverse conditions, with one player's legacy and a franchise milestone at stake. Whether Peyton Manning cements his stat...
more

Could the Seattle Seahawks' defense of 2013 be compared with the greatest defenses of all time? That question was posed to me by my editor in the hallway at NFL Media's Culver City, Calif., office the other day, after I had started working on a pie...
more

The object of pro football is simple: Score more points than your opponent. Well, if it's that cut and dried, then the 2013 Denver Broncos certainly have their bases covered. After all, they set an NFL record for points scored in a single seaso...
more

Championship Sunday. Don't expect too much snarkiness coming from this quadrant of the football universe. We really have the best possible matchups determining who goes to the Super Bowl. That rarely happens. Part of what makes these two contests...
more

Not sure if you've heard this, but the AFC Championship Game will be Tom Brady vs. Peyton Manning. Did you know that Brady was once a sixth-round draft pick? Or that Manning "makes everyone around him better"? While we're at it, I bet you didn't k...
more

We just revealed the Pro Football Hall of Fame's 15 finalists for the Class of 2014 on NFL Network, and the list undoubtedly will engender impassioned debate among those of us who love discussing the very best players our game has to offer. Rig...
more

Week 17 was largely spectacular. Wild Card Weekend ? Even better. So what does the divisional round have in store for us? At the very least, this weekend's pro football menu offers a bevy of delicious matchups. And if recent history's any indicati...
more

In November, the 25 modern-era semifinalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Class of 2014 were revealed. Now that list is being narrowed to 15 finalists, who will be announced Thursday at 9 p.m. ET on NFL Network during a live special, "Pro Foo...
more

In the wake of another slate of NFL games that proved we know nothing, we'll spare you the indignity of having to read how "wild" Wild Card Weekend was -- though, of course, we just made you read that -- and try, once more, to show we know something...
more

Wild Card Weekend. Nearly every year, at least one of the road teams wins or pulls off an upset. So who is it going to be this time around? Last season, it was the Seahawks knocking off the Redskins in Washington, although it's tough to call that...
more

NFL Illustration Jimmy Johnson (left) won two Super Bowls with the Cowboys, while Tony Dungy won one with the Colts. How do the head coaches with a chance to join the next round of inductees to the Pro Football Hall of Fame stack up? The...
more

Week 17 was ... uh ... er ... umm ... crazy? Ridiculous? Fun? Ah, heck, pick your descriptive word. How do you explain the Steelers having every possible thing fall their way -- including the Chiefs' backups balling out -- only to lose out on a...
more

Week 17 Game Picks are in, and boy, is there a lot riding on the last weekend of the NFL's 94th regular season. We've got much seeding at stake in the AFC, and shockingly, every NFC division is still up for grabs. Now, before we get to this week'...
more

Say goodbye to Candlestick Park. Kinda sucks, doesn't it? Don't know about you, but I miss RFK , the old Mile High , and now the 'Stick ... these old-school grass-field stadiums that saw some of the biggest moments in NFL history -- as well as som...
more

It's Week 16. Which means picks time = time to pick the playoffs. After all, how many games below don't have postseason implications? Three, as it turns out: Titans-Jaguars , Browns-Jets and Buccaneers-Rams are the only matchups on the 16-game s...
more

Week 15 is in the books, which means teams have two more weeks until they start looking at their books. QuickBooks , that is. Roughly a third of the NFL should be in full evaluation mode after a handful more clubs saw their scant playoff hopes fade...
more

The Week 15 picks are in, with a dash of hope that this week will match the excitement of a wintry Week 14. While snow makes any game fun, the drama surrounding Robert Griffin III certainly makes Redskins-Falcons worth keeping tabs on, to say the...
more

How cool was Week 14? Non-fair-weather football ruled the weekend. There were, what, five games that involved snow, sleet or way-beyond-ridiculously-cold conditions? Great stuff, both in the air and on the field, with Exhibit A being the 49ers...
more

What a delicious plate of post-Turkey Day games we have this weekend. It's incredibly hard to pick the best, but here goes ... 1) Seahawks at 49ers 2) Panthers at Saints 3) Lions at Eagles All have major playoff implications, but it's quit...
more

At what point did you leave the broadcast of the Seahawks marching up and down the Saints' "defense"? The New Orleans-Seattle matchup provided all of us football heads with a Power Rankings rarity: No. 1 vs. No. 2 . But it might as well have been...
more

Week 13 picks are in, but before we let you dive into what's going down, keep in mind that we're in the homestretch. Every team has five games left. No more byes. No more trying to figure out who's a half game back (well, unless you're the Packers)....
more

Who is the best club in pro football? Week 12 is in the rearview mirror, Week 13 is upon us, but determining 2013's top-flight team hasn't gotten much clearer. Is it the Broncos, who blew a 24-point lead in suffering their second road loss ? Maybe...
more

Week 12, baby. Get the juicer ready, so that you can make an acai-fiber-wheatgrass blendi with a shot of soy protein to enjoy the sweet slate of games we have on the docket ... because nothing says football and Sunday Funday like a nice, healthy shak...
more

NFL Network's "Pro Football Hall of Fame: The First Cut" revealed the 25 semifinalists for the Class of 2014 on Wednesday night. This leads to one obvious question: Who will end up actually wearing a gold jacket? Well, I'm glad you asked. Here are my...
more

After revealing 126 modern-era nominees for the Class of 2014 in September, the Pro Football Hall of Fame is whittling that list to 25 semifinalists. The results will be revealed Wednesday on NFL Network during a live special, "Pro Football Hall of...
more

If the Week 12 Power Rankings are anywhere near as good as the Monday night game , we're cooking with grease ... That was a fun one. Both the Patriots and Panthers played quality football to the bitter end, proving that neither will be a tough out...
more

Week 11 is upon us. Week 10 shocked us. Talk about unpredictable. The Jaguars beating the Titans in Tennessee. ... The Rams blasting the Colts in Indy. ... Even the Panthers surprised a few analysts by winning at The 'Stick . I think we learned...
more

The Week 11 Power Rankings are here, and Drew Brees just threw another touchdown pass ... ... yes, the Cowboys were spanked in New Orleans. But that wasn't the biggest surprise of the weekend. Nor was the Jaguars getting their first win of the se...
more

Thank goodness there's football this weekend. Don't know about you guys out there, but I've heard about all I can stomach regarding locker-room politics and bullying in the schoolyard , er, amongst adults. Enough already. There are some AWESOME ga...
more

Three almost upsets, two coaches in scary health situations and one of the league's sexiest records tied by a glorified backup ... another routine week in the NFL. Yes, we almost saw three major upsets happen, except they didn't. The Texans could...
more

Nothing could be harder than picking some of the games Week 9 has to offer. Well, except for picking a midseason All-Pro team . But we already did that. Speaking of, Colts fans were stomping mad Robert Mathis didn't make that squad. Leaving him off...
more

Call it the Bye Week Era midseason ... Since the NFL went to bye weeks in 1990, "midseason" usually is considered to be Week 8 heading into Week 9. Well, guess what? We're hurtling straight for Week 9. With that, my editor asked that I readdress my...
more

Call it the Bye Week Era midseason ... Since the NFL went to bye weeks in 1990, "midseason" usually is considered to be Week 8 heading into Week 9. Well, guess what? We're hurtling straight for Week 9. With that, my editor asked that I readdress my...
more

It's time for Week 8 predictions, and with all the recent injuries, we're just trying to figure it out ... ... kind of like "Jason X" or "Halloween 5." I watched the latter while trying to bang out a short intro to our picks column. That's right,...
more

A strange NFL weekend came to a close Monday night with Josh Freeman throwing it all over the park . Literally. The ball hit almost every square inch of MetLife Stadium. If the Vikings' decision to start Freeman against the Giants was odd, the endi...
more

He was a complex man. Oh, K.S. "Bud" Adams Jr., who passed away at age 90 on Monday , didn't look the part. You could catch him in a light blue leisure suit and white shoes if you ran across him on the right day -- or maybe sporting perfectly parte...
more

What an exciting list of games on the Week 7 docket. Let's see ... we have the Cowboys and Eagles fighting for the NFC East lead, the best rivalry in the AFC East teeing it up in New Jersey, and the best rivalry in the NFL over the past 10 years a...
more

Only Colts receivers could drop the Power Rankings on you faster than us. Indy lost in San Diego on Monday night, with a little help from Philip Rivers and a lot of help from Coby Fleener, Trent Richardson and Reggie Wayne. Thus, the Colts take a...
more

Week 6 picks are on the way, but as with any decent tease, we have to get something you don't care about out of the way first. You know, kinda like Rocky III , where we had to watch Stallone getting all pimped out and big headed, fighting Thunderli...
more

The Cleveland Browns are in first place, Manning-Romo produced nearly 1,000 passing yards and Geno pizza-rolled the Atlanta Falcons to another loss . ... What a Week 5. Talk about making the Power Rankings a bit difficult to put together....
more

The picks are in for Week 5, as the big bye weeks start. Yep, this is one of those weekends in which a group of teams will be off the NFL slate. That includes the Minnesota Vikings and Pittsburgh Steelers -- the London combatants -- as well as the...
more

A quarter of the way through the season, we have five undefeated teams -- and a new No. 1. @Harrison_NFL if you even think about ranking Denver 2nd next week under Seattle there will be widespread riots in Colorado. â?? Brian Lamers (@BrianLamer...
more

From 0-3 to the playoffs? It doesn't happen much. In fact, since the NFL expanded its postseason format to six teams per conference in 1990, just three squads that started the season 0-3 have recovered to hit the playoffs: the 1998 Buffalo Bills (F...
more

Three weeks deep we are. Forgive the Yoda phraseology, but not even the little green guy with the Force and a Hefner robe possibly could have foreseen the San Francisco 49ers getting hammered (again), or which teams would occupy Nos. 10 through 15...
more

Well, you don't see that every day. This Week 3 picks column was about in the bag when Trent Richardson was dealt from a struggling Cleveland Browns team to a (surprisingly) struggling Indianapolis Colts team. It's not often that a marquee young...
more

In a world where mediocre Texas Rangers shortstops from the late 1990s are now doing national car commercials, we bring you the NFL Power Rankings for Week 3. Yes, we saw Royce Clayton and his family extolling the virtues of their Ford Flex on Mo...
more

The knee-jerk reaction that came to mind after seeing that there would be a "A Football Life" dedicated to Darrelle Revis was not that makes sense or yes, finally! or even a I wonder if Mark Sanchez is next. Nope, the first thought was how ironi...
more

Week 2 is upon us, and if this is your first look at the schedule, then you're going to like what you see. Heck, you might be all hot dogs and apple pie about it. There are plenty of divisional games on the docket: Jets-Patriots , Vikings-Bears ,...
more

So much to get to in this week's Power Rankings, starting with what to make of the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Redskins, who played two completely different halves Monday night . Then there was the crazy second bill of that prime-time...
more

So we did our first Power Rankings of the season this week, and a lot of you sounded off after the column was tweeted out. In between complaints about the New Orleans Saints being too low and intense fantasy questions about whether or not Kenbrell...
more

Seven months. Almost to the freaking day ... that's how long it's been since we saw the lights go out in the Superdome and -- a quarter and a half later -- on the 2012 season. NFL Network's new prime-time lineup " 5 p.m. ET: "NFL...
more

"A Football Life: Don Shula." Maybe it should be an Underrated Life: Don Shula. The architect behind the NFL's only undefeated team - the '72 Miami Dolphins - of the modern era never seems to get mentioned as the greatest coach of the modern era. The...
more

Your fantasy football team plays in the NFL, and you should too! Sign up today to play the official free and customizable fantasy game of the National Football League! NFL.com held its experts league auction mock draft of the year on July 26. The...
more

Alright, we're through two weeks of preseason -- what can we gauge? Not much. Cool. Good talk. Predicting who will be worthy of first-team All-Pro honors at the end of the 2013 season isn't exactly an easy exercise when starters across the NFL...
more

Alright, we're through two weeks of preseason -- what can we gauge? Not much. Cool. Good talk. Predicting who will be worthy of first-team All-Pro honors at the end of the 2013 season isn't exactly an easy exercise when starters across the...
more

They were that close. Believe it. "A Football Life: LaDainian Tomlinson" is an awesome doc, a typical rendering of everything that makes NFL Films, well, NFL Films . It gave us all unique insight into the football (and ancestral) synchronicity tha...
more

Let all the worrying begin. It was the first quarter of Seattle Seahawks-San Diego Chargers . Ryan Mathews took the handoff and bucked it up the middle for a few yards. A simple running play -- and I thought he was hurt already. Too soon? Hey...
more

THE NEXT 50: INTRODUCTION 1-10 11-20 21-30 31-40 41-50 THE NEXT 50: LISTED BY CLASS 41) Steve Sabol Â» Contributor Â» NFL Films (1962-2012) Â» Eligible This might be the final year in which a contributor is elected...
more

The Next 50: INTRODUCTION 1-10 11-20 21-30 31-40 41-50 THE NEXT 50: LISTED BY CLASS Class of 2014 1) Michael Strahan Â» Defensive End Â» 1993-2007 (New York Giants) Â» Hall of Fame Finalist in 2013 Many league obse...
more

The Next 50: INTRODUCTION 1-10 11-20 21-30 31-40 41-50 THE NEXT 50: LISTED BY CLASS CANTON, Ohio -- Listening to Larry Allen address the crowd Saturday night at a cool, breezy Fawcett Stadium, the realization that I'd seen near...
more

"Fatso." That's what everyone called him. And for those of you sitting with an iPad on your lap or scrolling down on your cell phone, finding out who Fatso was -- former Baltimore Colts defensive tackle Art Donovan -- makes for time well spent....
more

The Pro Football Hall of Fame is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2013. To commemorate this milestone, NFL Media historian Elliot Harrison is picking his Hall of Fame 50th Anniversary Team. Selecting from the pool of more than 200 players voted in...
more

The Pro Football Hall of Fame is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2013. To commemorate this milestone, NFL Media historian Elliot Harrison is picking his Hall of Fame 50th Anniversary Team. Selecting from the pool of more than 200 players voted in...
more

The Pro Football Hall of Fame is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2013. To commemorate this milestone, NFL Media historian Elliot Harrison is picking his Hall of Fame 50th Anniversary Team. Selecting from the pool of more than 200 players voted in...
more

The Pro Football Hall of Fame is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2013. To commemorate this milestone, NFL Media historian Elliot Harrison is picking his Hall of Fame 50th Anniversary Team. Selecting from the pool of more than 200 players voted in...
more

The Pro Football Hall of Fame is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2013. To commemorate this milestone, NFL Media historian Elliot Harrison is picking his Hall of Fame 50th Anniversary Team. Selecting from the pool of more than 200 players voted in...
more

The Pro Football Hall of Fame is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2013. To commemorate this milestone, NFL Media historian Elliot Harrison is picking his Hall of Fame 50th Anniversary Team. Selecting from the pool of more than 200 players voted in...
more

Your fantasy football team plays in the NFL, and you should too! Sign up today to play the official free and customizable fantasy game of the National Football League! NFL.com held its second experts league mock draft of the year on Friday, July...
more

It's hard to believe, and it doesn't quite connect in the brain, but do you realize that the New York Giants have missed the playoffs three out of the past four years? On the surface, it might seem like the postseason and Big Blue go together l...
more

Last week, I innocently penned an article on the most overrated/underrated Dallas Cowboys of all time . Somehow, I overlooked safety Roy Williams in the overrated section. Somehow, I overlooked that placing a certain quarterback in the underrated sec...
more

First I heard it on the radio... "...Peyton Manning can't hold up for another season." Then, while making the rounds in the newsroom. "So are the older quarterbacks due for a letdown this season?" asked NFL.com Fantasy Editor Michael Fabiano....
more

It is July 2, not Jan. 2. Discussing potential regime changes in the NFL seems a bit awkward. Then again, this planning period before training camp -- the deep breath before the plunge, as Gandalf once deemed it -- can have a significant impact on w...
more

Editor: "How do you feel about some PR next week?" Me (thinking): Public Relations? Did I do something wrong? Is he drafting a letter for me to sign and awkwardly read in the HR department? Maybe I'll pull an Al Davis and read it off an overhead...
more

Turnover . It's a gnarly word in the confines of Corporate America, with its lousy aftertaste sparking some misguided diatribe about "capitalism." Yet, there is nothing misguided, or off the mark, about turnover when it comes to NFL standings....
more

On Tuesday, we took a glance at summer storylines for all the NFC teams -- the impactful subplots around the league worth delving into, some of which exist off the beaten path. With so many teams running mandatory minicamps this week and next, we'll...
more

The dog days of summer ... yeah, we've all heard that one before. In June and July, the NFL news cycle truly does grind to a halt faster than a '79 Pinto . Breer: Who's really in charge? When it comes to building an NFL roster, hierarchies var...
more

NFL.com held it's first experts league mock draft of the year on Monday, May 20th. The standard scoring league consists of NFL Fantasy LIVE members Dave Dameshek, Elliot Harrison, Michael Fabiano, Akbar Gbajabiamila, Jaime Maggio, Adam Rank, Matt "Mo...
more

It is about that time. The 78th annual college flea market is in the books, and every team has new hope. Vikings fans certainly expect their team to be No. 1 in our post-draft Power Rankings. I Ponder'd it, for about two milliseconds. 2013 NFL Dr...
more

It's summer time at the NFL. During the next few weeks, we here at NFL.com will unveil our Most Underrated and Overrated Players of All Time for all 32 teams and allow users to determine their choices as well. The task force in features asked that...
more

The 2013 NFL Draft is in the books ... and I am tired . Top 100 Players of 2013 Make sure you vote for the Top 100 players of 2013. Voting ends May 31. Get your vote in. More ... OK, now that we've gotten that bit of accounting over with,...
more

Schedule time. Don't kid yourself, the schedule release is cool. Yeah, we know, the NFL draft is on the horizon. But we hear about it for weeks ... The schedule? Well, the release packs a wallop in its short life span in the media cycle. Think abo...
more

This month, my colleague Bucky Brooks and I have readdressed the 2011 and 2009 drafts, respectively, in an attempt to not only match what we thought each team's front office would do, but also give each club the best shot at winning. So, naturally...
more

While we don't have dates yet, we do know the matchups. So which are the sweetest games on tap for 2013? There are a ton. In fact, picking the slickest 13 games of 2013 was much more difficult than picking the 12 best last season, when we were lookin...
more

Eddie Vedder wasn't singing about the NFL schedule when he screamed "RELEASE ME!" in the throes of one of Pearl Jam's best songs, "Release," on the back end of the album Ten . Yet, if you want 11 good songs in one shot, that's the album -- er, CD --...
more

As we close in on the 2013 NFL Draft (April 25-27 at Radio City Music Hall in New York City), our analysts examine each team's biggest needs. Elliot Harrison previews the NFC East below, but click here for other divisions. Dallas Cowboys 201...
more

As we close in on the 2013 NFL Draft (April 25-27 at Radio City Music Hall in New York City), our analysts examine each team's biggest needs. Elliot Harrison previews the NFC North below, but click here for other divisions. Chicago Bears 201...
more

Garbage. Seriously. Gar-BAHZGE . That was my thought after looking over the 2009 NFL Draft . My esteemed editor asked (mandated) that I redo the entire first round. Truth be told, I had never fully examined this four-year-old raid of the great coll...
more

In the days leading up to the 2013 NFL Draft , NFL.com will allow users to determine the best and worst draft picks for every team. The series continues with the team that owns the No. 51 overall pick in this year's draft, the Washington Redskins....
more

Associated Press Cam Newton, Brandon Myers and Daryl Washington (from left to right) merit more respect on a national scale. Underrated. What exactly does this word mean? Catch Me If You Can was an underrated movie. John Mayer certainly i...
more

The Dolphins made it rain, Blaine played the blame game and the rest of the NFL can only hope the Seahawks drop five again ... Yep, the last few weeks of the pro football news cycle need to be HGH tested. Beyond the Miami Dolphins showering mon...
more

Associated Press Packers GM Ted Thompson (left) typically eschews free agency, but this is new for Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. What about us? Free-agent tracker Where will Greg Jennings wind up? Follow him and all the other NFL players o...
more

Associated Press Brett Favre, Michael Turner and Peyton Manning (from left to right) were big-time free agency prizes in years past. Let the feeding frenzy begin. Free agency starts Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET, and you can be sure that the...
more

With free agency set to kick off at 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday, March 12, Elliot Harrison identifies needs for all 32 teams over eight divisional primers. You'll find the outlook for each AFC West team below, but click here to examine other divisions ....
more

Scott Boehm/Associated Press Osi Umenyiora's production declined in 2012, but the Seattle Seahawks could use him as a situational pass rusher. With free agency set to kick off at 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday, March 12, Elliot Harrison identifies need...
more

With free agency set to kick off at 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday, March 12, Elliot Harrison identifies needs for all 32 teams over eight divisional primers. You'll find the outlook for each NFC South team below, but click here to examine other divisions ....
more

Scott Boehm/Associated Press Defensive end Cliff Avril posted 29 sacks over the last three seasons with the Detroit Lions, including 11 in 2011. With free agency set to kick off at 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday, March 12, Elliot Harrison identifies...
more

Associated Press Martellus Bennett, Jared Cook and Fred Davis (from left to right) are three tight ends due to hit the open market. With free agency set to kick off at 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday, March 12, Elliot Harrison identifies needs for all 3...
more

With free agency set to kick off at 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday, March 12, Elliot Harrison identifies needs for all 32 teams over eight divisional primers. You'll find the outlook for each AFC North team below, but click here to examine other divisions ....
more

With free agency set to kick off at 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday, March 12, Elliot Harrison identifies needs for all 32 teams over eight divisional primers. You'll find the outlook for each AFC East team below, but click here to examine other divisions ....
more

Ric Tapia/NFL Signing safety Dashon Goldson might make sense for a Philadelphia Eagles team looking to pump up its secondary. With free agency set to kick off at 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday, March 12, Elliot Harrison identifies needs for all 32 team...
more

National Football League When Reggie White rumbled his way over to the Green Bay Packers 20 years ago, it signaled the start of a new era. Twenty years. A lot's changed in the past 20, no? Laser discs came and went. Axl and Slash pulled a K...
more

Tim Heitman/US Presswire The 2012 NFL season turned on a handful of pivotal moments, from the 'Fail Mary' to RG3's late-season injury. A single game is just a drop in the bucket in the NFL, what with 21 weeks for teams to decide their fate a...
more

Standing on a fake field, in a nuts-and-bolts second-story gym, rap music blaring ... that's where I found myself, along with about 10 college prospects aiming to improve a looming mistress: their draft stock. Brandt: Early look at the Hot 100 Be...
more

Russell Wilson was the choice, after much consternation and internal strife. Last week, we had an Instant Debate asking which player you would most want when starting a team from scratch . It's an interesting query. Who would your selection be? T...
more

What a Super Bowl, right? It was the second-greatest of the past few years, behind only Super Bowl XLII , when the New England Patriots' undefeated season went down in flames -- although Steelers-Cards (XLIII ) certainly merits consideration....
more

Color me shocked. The Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2013 was announced Saturday , and like so many of you who appreciate the history of the game, there were some surprises to go around. Before we get to that, however, here's the final accoun...
more

Associated Press Eddie DeBartolo Jr. (left) and the late Art Modell are among 17 Hall of Fame finalists in the Class of 2013. Eddie DeBartolo Jr. is a Hall of Famer. There, I said it. You can take the riverboat gambling casino fiasco legal...
more

This might be the greatest article of all time. Well, if Randy Moss had edited it, he would say so. The eccentric San Francisco 49ers wideout with 156 touchdowns to his name made a bit of news -- er, caused a minor stir -- this week when he made...
more

Apparently, there are some brothers teeing it up in the Super Bowl. I imagine you'll have heard about that storyline 857,333 times by kickoff. But it makes you think ... What kind of siblings were John and Jim Harbaugh growing up? Did the elder...
more

This just in: Tom Brady, Bill Belichick and "the Evil Empire" didn't make it to the Super Bowl. OK, maybe you're up on the latest postseason news. But you might have missed the latest on the Pro Football Hall of Fame, where Brady will reside when i...
more

It sure isn't what we expected. Those feisty old Baltimore Ravens just wouldn't say die in Denver . So here they are, one win away from the Super Bowl, again, playing in New England, again, against a team favored to beat them, again. No one expec...
more

So, Monte Kiffin appears to be the man in Dallas . The 72-year-old defensive coordinator truly is -- with apologies to Steve Spurrier -- the ol' ball coach. Which means he brings a lot of experience to an organization that requires it. Debate: Cowb...
more

Never heard of a leg injury game in a playoff game (Seahawks-Redskins , to be exact) causing such a media/Twitter/Facebook/eHarmony/water-cooler firestorm ... Analysts' picks: Divisional round Our analysts forecast each divisional-round game....
more

The elite eight. Brooks: Divisional-round preview Bucky Brooks examines the matchups and lays out a path to championship weekend for each surviving playoff team. More ... Usually it's a college basketball term -- not during the second week...
more

Is there a better weekend in pro football? No way. We get to see eight above-average-to-premium clubs, most of which had to scratch and claw their way here, fighting low expectations and/or injuries. The Indianapolis Colts actually stick out i...
more

Black Monday ... Gray Tuesday. Gray area, at least for a lot of our teams in the Top 32 Countdown. With seven coaches getting fired Monday, not to mention a handful of general managers, ranking teams gets a bit difficult. Believe it or not, 21...
more

And we're there ... Week 17, unbelievably, has arrived, and not without some juice. The No. 1 seed is up for grabs in the AFC. The NFC West has been guaranteed to no one. The NFC East is anybody's boxing match. What a game that will be in...
more

Week 17 is here, as are the NFL.com Power Rankings. Or maybe I should just say, Merry Christmas, Broncos fandom ... Considering the abuse this space took from those who felt Denver was being disrespected, it's amazing we're not pushing Tatum Bell...
more

Week 16 ... Harrison: Week 16 Power Rankings A new team at the top, a new team at the bottom and plenty of action in between. Elliot Harrison reshuffles the deck. More ... ... hope it's different than Week 15. Too much unpredictability, too...
more

Statement Sunday. We said it on NFL Network all last week. Over the top? Maybe. True? Absolutely. Let's face it: The league has become such a parity party that it's impossible to determine which teams are consistent and which are two-week won...
more

Fourteen down, three to go ... ... three BIG weeks left. For a few teams, failing to win this week means failing to maintain relevance over the final two contests of the season (other than getting a looksee at young players and determining over...
more

The race to the postseason presses on, with some teams vying for playoff spots while others deal with the walking wounded and the disappointment only a lost season can bring. More coverage on Profootballhof.com Learn all about the illustrious car...
more

Week 15 brings a major shakeup in the top 10. No less than eight teams are on the move -- either up or down -- starting at the top. Tom Brady The Houston Texans' four-week reign in the No. 1 spot is over. After that debacle in New England ,...
more

It's that time of the week. Picks time. It's also do-or-you-know-what time for several NFL teams, or they won't be playing football in January. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers find themselves in must-win territory after dropping two straight. Another...
more

The Philadelphia Eagles make a change in the Nick of a time, the clock is ticking on Big Ben's return, and the Dez dispenser is dishing out touchdowns and fantasy points for Big D. Yup, bad puns are alive and well as we head into Week 14, and so is...
more

You hear persistent chatter about "must-win" scenarios each Sunday, but until Week 13 or yonder rolls around, all that blabber is usually much ado about nothing. Well, guess what? Week 13 is upon us. Several clubs are fighting for their playoff...
more

Week 12, in the books ... ... so what does that mean for the best teams in football? Well there is some shakeup in the top 10, although the first three stand pat. The Atlanta Falcons won on the road against what appears to be a quality team in...
more

Because we believe in giving thanks across the country, you get the NFL.com picks a day early this week. I'd say, "Enjoy," but if you're a Minnesota Vikings fan, you're probably going to be mad at me. Their game in Chicago is difficult to read be...
more

The top teams in the league are starting to present themselves as such -- or so we think -- and thus, we'll see a little less spastic movement in the rankings. No teams jumping 10 spots, although the little Buffalo Bills got a bump of some note...
more

So who do you like this weekend? More importantly, who is gonna tie? OK, probably nobody. The St. Louis Rams and New York Jets might be able to make it happen. Shoot, with two backup quarterbacks potentially starting against two disruptive defe...
more

Week 10 was just plain odd. Jeremiah: Texans have it all Whether they're shooting or slugging it out, the Texans have plenty of ways to best an opponent, Daniel Jeremiah writes. More ... Two of the top three teams went down. The hapless Tenn...
more

Hard to believe, but we're already prognosticating games again. Does the NFL season move fast or what? Seems like just Monday I was watching the Philadelphia Eagles implode in the red zone. Oh, wait. Another week for Atlanta Falcons fans to h...
more

Andrew Luck electrified the Lucas Oil Stadium faithful last Sunday with a record-setting day for a rookie quarterback. Luck's 433 yards set an NFL record for first-year quarterbacks, but was it enough to merit inclusion in the NFL's list of top 15 si...
more

Week 10 is here, which means we're already taking an early glance at awards on NFL.com . It also means playoff positioning is in play and rankings are solidifying. Or are they? Twenty-two franchises moved spots from last week's rankings ,...
more

Fourteen games on the docket for Week 9, but this NFL slate will have trouble matching the late heroics (and surprises) from last Sunday ... ... some of which put my Week 8 picks in flux. The Dallas Cowboys' comeback-turned-crushing-defeat , t...
more

Another week of insane finishes (the Ballard corkscrew , Dez's digits , old man Titus ), rankings in flux and Monday Night defense ... ... the latter suffocated the Arizona Cardinals, who are the jumping-off point in the discussion of mediocre...
more

Midseason is pretty much here. We're getting a clearer picture of who's for real and who's not, right? Which, in theory, should make picking games a smidge more manageable. Maybe. But there are some tough games to call this weekend. Who wants to t...
more

Midseason is pretty much here. We're getting a clearer picture of who's for real and who's not, right? In theory, that should make picking games a smidge more manageable. Maybe. But there are some tough games to call this weekend. Who wants to...
more

Different approach to the Power Rankings for Week 8. Oh, don't worry -- the usual suspects lurk around the bottom of the order. And, of course, there are plenty of slots you won't agree with ... This week, with midseason approaching, we're going to...
more

Is there any way Week 7 can be as unpredictable as Week 6? After hearing my groans in trying to piece together what went down last week -- Tennessee Titans over Pittsburgh Steelers? The Green Bay Packers and New York Giants embarrassing viable tit...
more

Is there any way Week 7 can be as unpredictable as Week 6? After hearing my groans in trying to piece together what went down last week -- Tennessee Titans over Pittsburgh Steelers? The Green Bay Packers and New York Giants embarrassing viable tit...
more

Does it feel like the Tennessee Titans' upset win over the Pittsburgh Steelers was 10,000 years ago or what? Tennessee's out-of-nowhere win last Thursday really set the tone for Week 6, when nothing made sense: Instant Debate: Fraud squad? Whi...
more

Six weeks in. We're at the point when injuries really are making their presence felt. How will the Green Bay Packers fare without running back Cedric Benson? The Arizona Cardinals' backfield is even more depleted; does that give the Buffalo Bil...
more

Six weeks in. We're at the point when injuries really are making their presence felt. How will the Green Bay Packers fare without running back Cedric Benson? The Arizona Cardinals' backfield is even more depleted; does that give the Buffalo Bil...
more

Week 5 is in the books, and the best team is ... well, still the best team. The Houston Texans (barely) disposed of the New York Jets on Monday night , despite not playing their most impressive game. While 5-0 Houston will cruise home to face the...
more

Whole lotta soul-searching on the docket for the four teams not playing this week ... It's bye week for the Dallas Cowboys, which is good news. Dez Bryant won't be able to kill his football team this Sunday. Tony Romo won't be able to throw any mor...
more

Whole lotta soul-searching on the docket for the four teams not playing this week ... It's bye week for the Dallas Cowboys, which is good news. Dez Bryant won't be able to kill his football team this Sunday. Tony Romo won't be able to throw any...
more

So much to like about Week 4 ... ... Matt Ryan's moon shot to Roddy White with the unblemished Atlanta Falcons on the brink of a bad loss. The Houston Texans' defense imposing its will on the NFL. Getting the regular referees back, mistakes and al...
more

Another week of complete football madness. Lord knows who will fall from grace this week, a la the San Francisco 49ers being toppled over at the Metrodome last Sunday. One group who we know won't be bludgeoned are the zebras. Has any sport ever b...
more

While penning my Week 4 picks for NFL.com , it dawned on me just how tight games have been thus far. Forget Tate-gate. There just aren't too many blowouts in the league right now, plain and simple. So sometimes you have to dig a little deeper to get...
more

Another week of complete football madness. Lord knows who will fall from grace this week, a la the San Francisco 49ers being toppled over at the Metrodome last Sunday. One group who we know won't be bludgeoned are the zebras. Has any sport ev...
more

Speechless in Seattle. Tate Gate. The last play of the Seattle Seahawks' 14-12 "win" over the Green Bay Packers on Monday night will be recalled for years to come. Combine that with the bogus pass-interference call on Green Bay's Sam Shields -- no...
more

Week Three is here, and scoring is the topic of the day for Inside the Numbers . Okay, maybe just the lead topic. But let's get something off the collective chest about this whole scoring deal and everyone going all kittens and rainbows about offensi...
more

Two weeks down, 15 to go, and as much movement as ever in the league ... That's the five-second logline for Week 2 of the 2012 season. Or, in non-Hollywood speak, that sums it up. All of us in the NFL Network/NFL.com studios are actually located...
more

Knee-jerk mania. Ogletree mania. Week 1 certainly lived up to its crazy reputation. But before you go and buy that Garcon "88" Washington Redskins jersey, remember that some guy out there has a Willie Parker Fathead on his wall. Jeremiah: Believe...
more

Your fantasy team plays in the NFL, and you should too! Sign up today to play the official free and customizable fantasy game of the National Football League! Ogletreemania has died down. We got a whole slew of games to play this Sunday and Monda...
more

The NFL's 93rd season gets going Wednesday night when the Dallas Cowboys visit the defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants . Ironic, as perhaps the most memorable Cowboys-at-Giants game ever came during the 1993 season. In a fight for both the...
more

Jay Cutler and his Chicago Bears teammates walked off the grass at Soldier Field on Nov. 20 with what seemed to be the whole world in front of them ... or, at least, the whole NFC. Chicago had just finished off the San Diego Chargers for its fifth vi...
more

Recently, our crew of fantasy football analysts conducted a mock fantasy football auction draft. The 15-man roster consisted of one QB, two RBs, two WRs, one TE, one WR/RB, one K, one DEF and six bench spots. It uses NFL.com's standard scoring system...
more

If ever there was a worse preseason game than Dallas Cowboys-Oakland Raiders , these eyes didn't see it. It was the same old (recent) story for two of the league's most storied franchises: a pair of clubs that just can't seem to get out of their own...
more

J. Pat Carter/Associated Press Wes Welker racked up 160 receiving yards and a pair of touchdowns in the Pats' Week 1 rout of the Dolphins. Â Training camp presents an opportunity for all players to get better. But this summer, it's the guys...
more

QBs - Rank RBs - Fabiano WRs - Jason Smith TEs - Harrison Overall draft strategies Â You have enough on your plate, what with a quarterback, at least two premium running backs(!) and two or three wideouts not named Santonio Holme...
more

Matt York/Associated Press When Kevin Kolb (left) went down last year, John Skelton took advantage of the opportunity, going 5-2 as a starter. It's May. Not even late May. It's slooooow time in the NFL. After minicamps wrap up, it will be off tim...
more

First wave of free agency? Done. Second wave of free agency? Done. (Call it A.P. -- after Peyton.) NFL draft? Done. Now, where does your team stand in relation to its peers? Well, I'll spoil the surprise and tell you the New York Giants still...
more

Ed Zurga/Associated Press Entering his fourth season with the Chiefs, Matt Cassel might be playing for his job during the 2012 campaign. With the 2012 NFL Draft and the bulk of free agency in the rearview mirror, NFL.com analyst Elliot Harrison...
more

With the 2012 NFL Draft and the bulk of free agency in the rearview mirror, NFL.com analyst Elliot Harrison is examining each team's offseason activity and identifying remaining holes to fill. Arizona Cardinals Free agency: The Cardinals got...
more

Paul Sancya/Associated Press Coming off a resurgent 2011 campaign, Steve Smith signed an extension with the Panthers in the offseason. With the 2012 NFL Draft and the bulk of free agency in the rearview mirror, NFL.com analyst Elliot Harrison is...
more

Jay LaPrete/Associated Press The Texans need a secondary threat at wide receiver. Could third-round pick DeVier Posey be the answer? With the 2012 NFL Draft and the bulk of free agency in the rearview mirror, NFL.com analyst Elliot Harrison is...
more

David Richard/US Presswire Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall tore his ACL last season and could miss the beginning of 2012, as well. With the 2012 NFL Draft and the bulk of free agency in the rearview mirror, NFL.com analyst Elliot Harris...
more

Chuck Cook/US Presswire The Lions lost CB Eric Wright to free agency. Is third-rounder Dwight Bentley (above) ready to start as a rookie? With the 2012 NFL Draft and the bulk of free agency in the rearview mirror, NFL.com analyst Elliot Harrison...
more

Michael Conroy/AP Which Mark Sanchez will show up in 2012? And how quickly could Tim Tebow replace him behind center for the Jets? With the 2012 NFL Draft and the bulk of free agency in the rearview mirror, NFL.com analyst Elliot Harrison is...
more

Elise Amendola/Associated Press The Giants' inexperienced O-line could struggle to protect Eli Manning in a division with many stellar pass rushers. With the 2012 NFL Draft and the bulk of free agency in the rearview mirror, NFL.com analyst Elli...
more

NEW YORK -- We're live, inside Radio City Music Hall, for Day 2 of the 2012 NFL Draft. The first pick begins at 7 p.m. ET, although we'll fire this blog up at 6 with a recap of Day 1 and a preview of Day 2. NFL.com analyst Elliot Harrison brings y...
more

NEW YORK -- We're live, inside Radio City Music Hall, for the 2012 NFL Draft. It all begins at 8 p.m. ET, when NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell puts the Indianapolis Colts on the clock. NFL.com analyst Elliot Harrison brings you inside the first rou...
more

In addition to it being Schedule Release Day, it's also Tax Day. Leading up to the latter, people always seem to have a case of the "We-gonna's." We gonna do them when we get our W-2's ... We gonna do them in late March ... We gonna do them tomorrow....
more

The next football season is upon us! (... Or at least the schedule is.) The league released the full 2012 NFL schedule for the coming season on Tuesday. It seems like just yesterday I was wondering why some dude at FoxSports.com stole my seat in t...
more

This week on NFL.com, we're re-doing the first rounds of the past five drafts, and 2008 is next on the docket. You'll hear this draft mentioned often. Why? Because of the two young quarterbacks selected by Atlanta and Baltimore. This was the onl...
more

To do over anything is a luxury few of us get in life. Matt Dodge probably would like a re-kick , Dewey a recount , and the rest of us a recharge ... something, anything to re-energize us after what we felt was a missed opportunity. What's your...
more

Jim Prisching/Associated Press Aaron Rodgers' Packers host the Niners in 2012, a classic matchup of high-powered offense vs. stingy defense. Earlier this week, we posted 12 for '12 , a look at the top games of the upcoming season. There are some...
more

Tom Hauck/AP San Francisco's Vernon Davis beat New Orleans with this game-winning touchdown catch in a classic playoff bout. The 2012 season is upon us, or at least the matchups are. No exact dates yet, but we know each team's slate, home and awa...
more

Todd Rosenberg/NFL Giants quarterback Eli Manning won his second Lombardi Trophy (and second Super Bowl MVP) in Indianapolis. Why is nobody out there making a case for the New York Giants to repeat? Last week, the Giants were the top dog in the...
more

What's the difference between your dad's NFL and yours? Player movement. Lombardi: Market conclusions With the free-agency frenzy winding down, Michael Lombardi reviews notable action on this year's open market. More ... The free-agency...
more

Nam Y. Huh/AP Jay Cutler took a beating last season, as the Bears gave up 49 sacks -- the fifth-highest total in the league. A wide receiver who has averaged 95 catches per year over the past five seasons ... acquired for two third-round picks. T...
more

Now that Manningmania has died down, it's an appropriate time to look at the league as a whole. After all, free agency is officially a week old today. So, who are the free-agency "winners" thus far? Who's dropped the ball? Well, the obvious "loser"...
more

Don McPeak/US Presswire Demaryius Thomas made a splash in 2011, despite playing in an offense that downplayed its passing attack. Peyton Manning is coming to Denver. Time to put the Tim Tebow project on ice. Admit it, Denver fans, you kind of lov...
more

Well, they clearly got the memo. The Washington Redskins, once the poster child for free agency jet-setting, have once again kept the spending down to somewhat earthly levels. Question is, was the Twofer Tuesday a smart level of spending? Bruce...
more

Al Golub/AP After signing as a free agent, Rickey Jackson was invaluable for the Niners, including in the NFC title game. With free agency upon us yet again, it's time to take a quick look back before this year's feeding frenzy gets going. For al...
more

Associated Press (From left to right) Mario Williams, Cortland Finnegan and Vincent Jackson highlight the 2012 free-agent class. Now that the overblown game of tag has played out across the league, who are the Last of the Mohicans -- the big-time...
more

Perry Knotts/NFL Super Bowl XLVI hero Chase Blackburn was substitute teaching before the Giants signed him in late November. If you're counting on your favorite team winning the Super Bowl in free agency next week, think again. Oh, there might...
more

Darron Cummings/AP After spending the first 14 years of his NFL career in Indianapolis, could Peyton Manning move to Kansas City? Sometimes we don't write what we think because there's not much to substantiate it. Cool. Now that this issue has be...
more

Associated Press (From left to right) Darren McFadden, Robert Griffin III and Tony Romo will enter the 2012 campaign in the spotlight. For all of you football fiends who have something on your mind besides the 40-yard dash and how many times some...
more

Eric P. Mull/US Presswire Colt McCoy threw 14 touchdowns and 11 interceptions in 13 games for the Browns last season. With the 2011 season in the rearview mirror, it's time for NFL.com's annual "Exit Interviews," a chance to review the ups and...
more

Gail Burton/AP Peyton Manning's injury led to the firing of Jim Caldwell (left) and truly changed the face of the Colts franchise. With the 2011 season in the rearview mirror, it's time for NFL.com's annual "Exit Interviews," a chance to review t...
more

David Duprey/AP Reggie Bush was a bright spot in a disappointing season, piling up a career-high 1,086 rushing yards in 2011. With the 2011 season in the rearview mirror, it's time for NFL.com's annual "Exit Interviews," a chance to review the up...
more

Associated Press Greg Schiano (left) takes over a Buccaneers squad that went 4-12 in Josh Freeman's third season. With the 2011 season in the rearview mirror, it's time for NFL.com's annual "Exit Interviews," a chance to review the ups and dow...
more

Mel Evans / Associated Press Mike Shanahan will have to solve his team's offensive struggles if the Redskins hope to compete next season. With the 2011 season in the rearview mirror, it's time for NFL.com's annual "Exit Interviews," a chance t...
more

Jason O. Watson/US Presswire San Diego QB Philip Rivers certainly didn't enjoy his finest season in 2011, but he turned it on down the stretch. With the 2011 season in the rearview mirror, it's time for NFL.com's annual "Exit Interviews," a chanc...
more

AP The Bears' 2011 season took a big hit when QB Jay Cutler and RB Matt Forte (above) went down with injuries. With the 2011 season in the rearview mirror, it's time for NFL.com's annual "Exit Interviews," a chance to review the ups and downs of...
more

AP Darren McFadden averaged 5.4 yards per carry in 2011, but could only stay healthy for seven games. With the 2011 season in the rearview mirror, it's time for NFL.com's annual "Exit Interviews," a chance to review the ups and downs of each team...
more

With the 2011 season in the rearview mirror, it's time for NFL.com's annual "Exit Interviews," a chance to review the ups and downs of each team's past season and spin it forward. 2011 in a Nutshell: Who You Are? A city known for its music s...
more

Kevin Terrell/AP Dallas CB Terence Newman struggled mightily in man coverage, routinely drawing the ire of Cowboys fans. With the 2011 season in the rearview mirror, it's time for NFL.com's annual "Exit Interviews," a chance to review the ups and...
more

With the 2011 season in the rearview mirror, it's time for NFL.com's annual "Exit Interviews," a chance to review the ups and downs of each team's past season and spin it forward. 2011 in a Nutshell: Seeing it from the 20-yard line on Sunday n...
more

With the 2011 season in the rearview mirror, it's time for NFL.com's annual "Exit Interviews," a chance to review the ups and downs of each team's past season and spin it forward. 2011 in a Nutshell: From field level, as well as the catwalk at...
more

NFL / US Presswire Miles Austin (left) couldn't come up with a big catch in Week 14, and now the Giants are in the Super Bowl. It was an innocent go route off the right hash. Tony Romo probably has thrown this specific kind of deep ball...
more

AP Super Bowl XIII MVP Terry Bradshaw threw four touchdown passes in Pittsburgh's thrilling defeat of Dallas. INDIANAPOLIS -- Walking the corridors of the JW Marriott in downtown Indianapolis, there is already a palpable feel of football energy....
more

Associated Press Victor Cruz (left) and BenJarvus Green-Ellis both went undrafted before being picked up by the Giants and Patriots. INDIANAPOLIS -- Whether it's cooking, a first date, or a Super Bowl roster, the right mix is everything. Las...
more

With the 2011 season in the rearview mirror for all but two teams, it's time for NFL.com's annual "Exit Interviews," a chance to review the ups and downs of each team's past season and spin it forward. 2011 in a Nutshell: Dumervilmania? OK, ma...
more

With the 2011 season in the rearview mirror for all but two teams, it's time for NFL.com's annual "Exit Interviews," a chance to review the ups and downs of each team's past season and spin it forward. 2011 in a Nutshell: This was a middle of...
more

With the 2011 season in the rearview mirror for all but two teams, it's time for NFL.com's annual "Exit Interviews," a chance to review the ups and downs of each team's past season and spin it forward. 2011 in a Nutshell: A franchise reversal...
more

With the 2011 season in the rearview mirror for all but two teams, it's time for NFL.com's annual "Exit Interviews," a chance to review the ups and downs of each team's past season and spin it forward. 2011 in a Nutshell: While not exactly the...
more

Three hours and fifty-four minutes of grueling back-and-forth drama. For a good while during the NFC Championship Game Sunday evening, you wondered if each end zone was a country mile away from each team's offense. On NFL Network "NFL Replay"...
more

Jason O. Watson/US Presswire In his second season in the NFL, the Saints' Jimmy Graham led all tight ends with 99 receptions in 2011. With the 2011 season in the rearview mirror for most teams, it's time for NFL.com's annual "Exit Interviews," a...
more

Pierre Thomas' body did more than a 180. Donte Whitner's blow went right through the Saints tailback, spinning him around on the wheel of misfortune. Call it about a 210, roughly. It was a blunt trauma-induced pirouette uglier than all things Tonya...
more

With the 2011 season in the rearview mirror for most teams, it's time for NFL.com's annual "Exit Interviews," a chance to review the ups and downs of each team's past season and spin it forward. 2011 in a Nutshell: The unbeatable got beat. Don...
more

And then there were four. The chuck-it-around-the-park-60-times-a-game clubs are done, save the New England Patriots. There aren't enough superlatives with which to laud the New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers, which respectively shut down the...
more

With the 2011 season in the rearview mirror for most teams, it's time for NFL.com's annual "Exit Interviews," a chance to review the ups and downs of each team's past season and spin it forward. 2011 In A Nutshell: The Houston Texans definitel...
more

The once-invincible Packers went down Sunday . The unstoppable Saints? Also down for the count . Consequently, with the New York Giants facing off against the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship Game, we all get to see some defense instead of...
more

With the 2011 season in the rearview mirror for many teams, it's time for NFL.com's annual "Exit Interviews," a chance to review the ups and downs of each team's past season and spin it forward. 2011 in a Nutshell: Detroit's 12-year playoff droug...
more

With the 2011 season in the rearview mirror for many teams, it's time for NFL.com's annual "Exit Interviews," a chance to review the ups and downs of each team's past season and spin it forward. 2011 in a Nutshell: The Bengals were the classic...
more

With the 2011 season in the rearview mirror for many teams, it's time for NFL.com's annual "Exit Interviews," a chance to review the ups and downs of each team's past season and spin it forward. 2011 in a Nutshell: The Steelers were a 12-4 tea...
more

This is the time of year that pro football truly kicks some tail. Who wasn't a little fired up when Demaryius Thomas was bobbing his head while running as fast as he humanly could toward the pylon in Sunday's instant-classic upset of the Steelers?...
more

In our early look at the four divisional matchups, we start with a Patriots team that must avoid the costly mistakes (like penalties and protection breakdowns) that Pittsburgh could not Sunday evening: No. 4 Denver at No. 1 New England When: Satur...
more

With the 2011 season in the rearview mirror for most NFL teams, it's time for NFL.com's annual "exit interviews," a chance to review the ups and downs of the 2011 season for each team and look ahead to 2012. 2011 in a Nutshell: Do you think anyon...
more

With the 2011 season in the rearview mirror for many teams, it's time for NFL.com's annual "Exit Interviews," a chance to review the ups and downs of the past season for each team and spin it forward. 2011 in a Nutshell: The team labeled the "...
more

With the 2011 season in the rearview mirror for most NFL teams, it's time for NFL.com's annual "exit interviews," a chance to review the ups and downs of the 2011 season for each team and look ahead to 2012. 2011 in a Nutshell: As Bill Parcell...
more

You know how you know the Playoff Power Rankings are here? Because everyone keeps getting fired. Harrison: It's about to get wild From the surprising Bengals and late-surging Giants to the playoff-tested Steelers and Saints, Elliot Harrison exa...
more

It's unbelievable to think that the regular season has come and gone. Wasn't it just yesterday that we saw Jason La Canfora sweating out another three-hour lockout meeting? Perhaps even less believable is that the Bengals -- a team almost no one ga...
more

I found myself having to get past the reality that several undeserving players were named to the AFC and NFC Pro Bowl rosters. As in, some of these players didn't deserve being anywhere near a Pro Bowl roster. Of course there were others, like the...
more

Another week down, just one more to go ... for the regular season, that is. So what was the biggest surprise of Week 16? How about Indy winning its second in a row on the wares of Dan Orlovsky? The Chargers having an epic fail in Detroit? Perhaps t...
more

Under the radar is not exactly the phrase one thinks of when the names Bill Belichick and Tom Brady are tossed around. Yet, the Patriots could very well win the Super Bowl with nary a vote of confidence from league observers and fans. Has any team...
more

Week 15 saw the worst team win and the best team stumble. Just another notch in former Commissioner Paul Tagliabue's parity belt ... Think You Can Do Better? Disagree with Elliot Harrison's power rankings? Head to NFL.com/fanrankings to make yo...
more

Don McPeak/US Presswire With a 7-6 record, Jake Locker and the Titans still have a shot at a wild-card spot in the AFC. Talk about agony. When my editor asked me to prognosticate the final three weeks of the regular season, I thought it would be...
more

Tim Tebow delivers, while the Cowboys collapse ... ahh, another week of pro football. While the Tony Romo haters are sure to come out in full force following Dallas' loss to the Giants, the man played great Sunday night and is the reason that team...
more

AP/US Presswire Darren Sharper patrolled the secondary in New Orleans and Green Bay and has unique insight on those teams. After witnessing the Saints' 31-17 shellacking of the penalty-ridden Lions Sunday night, a certain question started creepin...
more

Another week down, a kabillion complaints upâ?¦ The biggest gripe? Ravens fans wanted to know why their team sits below the 49ers and Steelers despite having beaten them both. Let me explain some of the theory behind these NFL.com rankings: Think...
more

With five weeks to play in the regular season, teams are trying to string together some wins for a playoff push or at least make a run to build on for 2012. Several players, too, need to go on a run to not only make something of this season, but make...
more

At some point Sunday night, long after Tyler Palko lulled my eyes closed, I realized something the rest of you probably already came to grips with: the 2011 NFL season truly boils down to the Packers and everybody else. No matter who wins their div...
more

Another week, another Niners win. You realize that if Green Bay wasn't playing like the 1962 Packers, the 49ers -- with a rookie coach and Alex Smith at quarterback -- would be your No. 1 team? Think You Can Do Better? Disagree with Elliot...
more

The NFC wild-card race is beginning to look like one gnarly bowl of beef stew. Yes, it's early. Yes, there's any number of catastrophes that could take place, like Matt Stafford going down (again). But let's start with figuring out what we know....
more

Can you believe we have 10 weeks in the books? Week 11 is here, which means one last stanza of byes on the docket. While Indy has the bye week to court Jim Sorgi, the Colts will also be pondering the possibilities of getting lucky and going 0-16. L...
more

Associated Press / US Presswire The combination of Matt Forte (left) and Julius Peppers makes the Bears a legitimate contender. What to make of the Bears? Did Monday night's win over the Eagles sway any of you out there toward believing Chica...
more

Seems like there's the Packer machine, and then there's everybody else. Green Bay actually looked vulnerable in San Diego in spurts, but the third-oldest team in the NFL continues its season-long stay atop the charts. Meanwhile, there's some shuffl...
more

Mike Roemer/Associated Press With multiple weapons, like Jordy Nelson, at his disposal, Packers QB Aaron Rodgers is dominating defenses in 2011. Â Can any team stop Aaron Rodgers and that Packers offense? It's a damn good question, with the...
more

Another NFL weekend behind us, another week of ridiculous outcomes. The Saints went marching out of St. Louis demoralized and defeated. The Cowboys laid a Wade in Philly. And the Bills pitched a shutout in a place Dave Stieb and Jimmy Key used to thr...
more

When the Lions and Broncos square off Sunday in Denver, the stakes will be high for Detroit. A loss would make three in a row, with the inevitable "here we go again" carryover from a decade's worth of Lions' failures. Although Lions quarterback...
more

Yes, a Tim Tebow sermon is about to commence. I'll wait for the shock and awe to subside. Awe really is the operative word where Tebow is concerned. But it's time to reduce some of the hero worship and look at where his game is headed in the near...
more

Week 7 is in the books, and so too are our power rankings. I promise no mention of the quarterback who-shall-not-be-named and his fourth-quarter heroics in Florida. I do promise a mention of the biggest arguments concerning last week's rankings. Th...
more

We've all heard the phrase, "How the West was won." But how will the AFC West be won? Week 17, San Diego at Oakland, is your answer. Carson Palmer or no Carson Palmer, I've felt through the lockout and preseason that the Raiders would be right t...
more

The buzz of Week 6 was not the package of tight games, but rather what transpired after them. There was Shake-gate in Detroit, Oakland learning that Jason Campbell is for all intents and purposes gone for the year and what that led the Raiders to do,...
more

The Texans, Falcons and Jets all suffered tough losses in Week 5 that have their fans a bit discouraged, but Elliot Harrison still sees all three teams reaching the playoffs. HOUSTON -- Don't freak out, Texans fans. Take the panic button and throw...
more

Good times in the Bay Area. That's the storyline coming out of Week 5, with the Niners and Raiders producing huge wins. One was the biggest blowout of the year, while the other was the emotional let-out of 2011. Think You Can Do Better? Disagree...
more

The potent-on-paper Eagles who can't get out of their own way at 1-3 ... Tony Romo not closing out a game, just when you think he's closed the door on the old criticisms ... Matt Forte playing lights out in search of an extension ... the Steelers loo...
more

We're a quarter of the way into the 2011 season, and a couple of standard football principles are starting to come into play: Running the football still has its place in today's pass-happy NFL (SEE: the 49ers, Redskins and Texans); injuries still hap...
more

If you're still bashing Tony Romo, it's time to wake up. Convert from CDs to iTunes and get rid of your satellite dish. Romo bashing is similar to a cockroach. It just won't die. Oh, and by the way, it's wholly unwarranted. Romo is a top 10 quarterba...
more

What's the logline for Week 3 in the NFL? Teams that look liked crap for most of the day came from behind, playing like a totally different group than the dudes who suited up in the first half. Every winner from Sunday's eight early games had to play...
more

Tuesday at NFL West in Culver City, Calif., is usually a ho-hum day. The players are off, the madness of the Monday morning knee-jerk reactions has waned, and we all get on with planning our week. That is, until your editor assigns the ridiculous t...
more

Week 2 gave us more surprises and, once again, made the burden of producing NFL.com's Power Rankings almost too much to bear. What to do with the upstart Bills? Or the new "Silver Rush?" How about the Cowboys, who won despite having injuries to their...
more

I've got news for ya, Oakland is here to stay. To quote George Strait, "If you're thinkin' you want a stranger, there's one comin' home." Talent-wise, and scheme-wise, these aren't your older brother's Raiders. The Silver and Black boast good playe...
more

What an opening weekend in the NFL. Holy cow. Think You Can Do Better? Disagree with Elliot Harrison's power rankings? Head to NFL.com/fanrankings to make your own, Nos. 1-32, in whatever order you choose. Â» Expert rankings | Â» Consensu...
more

Hey, Jets fans: To quote Jack Nicholson, "You can't handle the truth!" Actually, that goes for you, too, Cowboys fandom. Sunday night's opener will provide a blueprint for the season that followers of either franchise will find difficult to ignore...
more

Opening kickoff on Thursday night is right around the corner. Unbelievable. Think You Can Do Better? Disagree with Elliot Harrison's power rankings? Head to NFL.com/fanrankings to make your own, Nos. 1-32, in whatever order you choose. Â»...
more

Opening kickoff on Thursday night is right around the corner. Unbelievable. Think You Can Do Better? Disagree with Elliot Harrison's power rankings? Head to FanRankings.NFL.com to list the teams, Nos. 1-32, in whatever order you choose. Â» Ex...
more

Tim Heitman/US Presswire James Harrison is one of nine Steelers regulars on defense who are more than 30 years old. Pittsburgh Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau, soon to be 74, told all who would listen that "age is just a number"...
more

Jeff Hanisch / US Presswire Jay Cutler has been the subject of much debate since leaving the NFC title game with a knee injury. Is this the year? Does Jay Cutler turn the corner and become the top-10 quarterback he is supposed to be? Beyo...
more

The 2011 season, I predict, will have a host of teams bunched together at the top. I don't think any team wins 14 games this season, like the Patriots did in 2010. In fact, I don't think any team will hit the 13-win mark, like the Falcons did a year...
more

Paul Spinelli/Associated Press Matt Cassel played poorly in the Chiefs' 30-7 loss to the Ravens in last year's playoffs. Is anyone in Kansas City getting nervous? Just wondering, mostly because the starting quarterback isn't garnering much...
more

Greg Trott / Associated Press Matt Ryan and Roddy White have their sights set on taking the Falcons on a deep playoff run. When the Rams fell to the Patriots in one of the biggest upsets in sports history, Super Bowl XXXVI in February 2002...
more

Howard Smith / US Presswire Michael Vick will get an idea of how ready he is for the season when the Eagles face the Steelers on Thursday. It's the second week of the preseason . Yawn. Well, wait. There are games worth watching,...
more

Is it OK to call 2011 the "Year of the Tight End"? Sounds cheesy, but I'm afraid it might be true. Take a look around the league. If there is one position that's loaded with young and old talent, it's tight end. Let's throw out some young names:...
more

Brad Childress recently sat down with NFL.com to discuss his tenure with the Vikings. His thoughts on RandyÂ Moss made headlines across the league. Using words like 'vomited' tends to do that. Childress still stays on top of NFL news and is...
more

Brad Childress has one big regret about the 2010 season, his last as head coach of the Minnesota Vikings. But it's not the one that likely comes to everyone's mind first. Roaming the hallways of the NFL.com and NFL Network offices in Culver City,...
more

With free agency slowing down from the autobahn-pace in which it began, teams are starting to look set. With that, it seemed like a good time to take a first swipe at power rankings. You'll find surprises below, to be sure. Some of you will definit...
more

Elaine Thompson/Associated Press The Seahawks signed Tarvaris Jackson (left) to throw passes to fellow former Viking Sidney Rice. The past 10 days or so have seen more NFL-style shotgun weddings and player movement than the league has...
more

With a potential settlement to the NFL lockout looming, analyst Elliot Harrison takes a quick glance at where each division left off following last season. This is a look at the NFC West. Arizona Cardinals Where we left off: The Cardinals...
more

With a potential settlement to the NFL lockout looming, analyst Elliot Harrison takes a quick glance at where each division left off following last season. This is a look at the AFC West. Brooks: Tebow will be Fox's guy All you've got to do is...
more

With a potential settlement to the NFL lockout looming, analyst Elliot Harrison takes a quick glance at where each division left off following the 2010 season. This is a look at the AFC South. Houston Texans Where we left off: Houston's prom...
more

With a potential settlement to the NFL lockout looming, analyst Elliot Harrison takes a quick glance at where each division left off following last season. This is a look at the NFC North. Chicago Bears Where we left off: The Bears rode a ve...
more

With a potential settlement to the NFL lockout looming, analyst Elliot Harrison takes a quick glance at where each division left off following last season. This is a look at the AFC North. Baltimore Ravens Where we left off: Baltimore was...
more

With a potential settlement to the NFL lockout looming, analyst Elliot Harrison takes a quick glance at where each division left off following last season. This is a look at the NFC East. Dallas Cowboys Where the Cowboys left off: The Cow...
more

With a potential settlement to the NFL lockout looming, analyst Elliot Harrison takes a quick glance at where each division left off following last season. This is a look at the AFC East. Buffalo Bills Where the Bills left off: Buffalo wa...
more

With a potential settlement to the NFL lockout looming, analyst Elliot Harrison takes a quick glance at where each division left off following last season. This is a look at the AFC East. AFC East team needs When the lockout ends, it could be a...
more

With a potential settlement to the NFL lockout looming, analyst Elliot Harrison takes a quick glance at where each division left off following last season. This is a look at the NFC East. NFC East team needs When the lockout ends, it could be a...
more

If there is one 2010 playoff team that hasn't received much respect from the media this offseason, it's the Chicago Bears -- myself included. Jason La Canfora's recent Super Bowl predictions didn't include much love for these guys, either. So what...
more

Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Roddy White has gone from a young player with trouble hanging onto the football a few years ago to an established big-time player in the NFL. So quickly, in fact, that it's difficult to imagine him a top-three receiver i...
more

We've been kicking around the new rules regarding kickoffs on NFL.com a lot recently. While much of the discussion has been about the value -- or devalue -- of premium returners, there's one facet of the discussion I'm sure of: The Colts will be fine...
more

Â As the research analyst for NFL Network's NFL RedZone , Elliot Harrison watched all 267 games in the 2010 season. We asked him to rank the 20 most memorable. "That's one of the most incredible football plays I think I've ever seen." Look...
more

Â As the research analyst for NFL Network's NFL RedZone , Elliot Harrison watched all 267 games in the 2010 season. We asked him to rank the 20 most memorable. When I was asked to rank the top 20 games of 2010 by my editor, Andy Fenelon, the...
more

David Duprey / Associated Press If SteveÂ Johnson comes up with this catch, is Blaine Gabbert the Bills' QB of the future? What if one or two plays last season had gone differently? How would those snaps affect the drama of last weekend, wh...
more

Paul Spinelli / Associated Press Deion Sanders collected five of his career 53 interceptions with the Ravens. As if Plaxico Burress ' potential return to the NFL after having the unfortunate mishap of shooting himself in the leg at a night...
more

Gary A. Vasquez / NFL Clay Matthews and Aaron Rodgers are just two of the Packers' many draft picks to play big roles en route to a title. Did anyone notice the flurry of activity last week? How about Thursday, when O.J. Atogwe , Bob Sander...
more

Paul Jasienski / Associated Press Poor pass protection resulted in the Cowboys losing Tony Romo for the season in Week 7. Will Dallas improve? "RUSH the quarterback!" So many of us who grew up watching NFL Films saw former Steelers coach...
more

US Presswire Jeremy Shockey (left) and Clinton Portis will move on to new teams. When and where, though, is to be determined. The clock is ticking, not only for NFL owners and players to get a new CBA constructed by Thursday night, but also...
more

It's not easy being a Panthers fan. If you aren't, it's probably hard imagining being one ... at least recently. The team's freefall since the playoff loss to the Cardinals in January 2009 has been tough on a fan base that for the most part is pretty...
more

Charles Rex Arbogast / Associated Press If Calvin Johnson held onto this ball in Week 1 vs. the Bears, the course of the 2010 season could have changed. In a typical NFL season there are 267 games. Of those, 256 come in the regular season...
more

Rick Osentoski / Associated Press When healthy, MatthewÂ Stafford has shown glimpses of why he was a No. 1 overall draft pick. Close, but no cigar. That was the story of the Detroit Lions' 2010 season, wasn't it? Here was a team that was...
more

January and February are a time for reflection in the NFL, with coaching turnover being the inevitable offshoot. And that's not just head coaches. Coordinators are moving around all over the league, and not always because someone got fired. Such is...
more

Ron Chenoy / US Presswire Unfortunately for San Diego, RyanÂ Mathews fell short of expectations in his rookie season. The 2010 campaign might have been the most depressing winning season in Chargers history. There was little disagreement...
more

Editor's note: This piece was written in 2011 following the Green Bay Packers' Super Bowl XLV win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, ranking the greatest Packers teams in franchise history. Included is Vince Lombardi's 1966 outfit, which will be prominent...
more

Steeler fans, I feel your pain. After closing the gap to 21-17 in Super Bowl XLV , it looked as though the game was playing into Pittsburgh's hands. Even on the final drive, it was almost as if it was a foregone conclusion that Ben Roethlisberger wou...
more

Super Bowl XLV will be like any other game, at least in the sense that it will come down to matchups. Every contest does, whether it's Week 3 or the Super Bowl. Kansas City didn't have the horses on offense to compete with Vince Lombardi's Packers...
more

"That's a misnomer. You don't have to have a defensive lineman drop back for it to be a zone blitz. There's all kinds of zone blitzes." -- Rod Woodson. The Hall of fame defensive back should know. He played under both Dom Capers and Dick LeBeau, wh...
more

Michael Conroy / Associated Press The Texans struggled in several defensive categories last season, something the team must change. Watching the playoffs must not be fun for the Houston Texans. This season was supposed to be the Texans'...
more

Joe Robbins / NFL The Jets fell at Pittsburgh in the AFC title game, but Rex Ryan is confident his team will return next season. The Jets went down with some serious fight Sunday night. While it would be easy to nitpick all of the missed...
more

John E. Sokolowski / US Presswire Rob Ryan will try to improve a Cowboys defense that finished 31st in points per game allowed last season. Good defensive coordinators don't grow on trees. You don't see very many minivans with "My son is an...
more

The Jets bounced the Patriots from the playoffs Sunday evening by exercising a smart defensive game plan and sticking to it. Expect more of the same against Pittsburgh in the AFC Championship Game. So what exactly did Rex Ryan and company do that...
more

Michael Conroy / Associated Press MattÂ Cassel grew under Charlie Weis, and it's up to coach Todd Haley to find a suitable replacement. No Chiefs fan can be too pleased with last Sunday's outcome. But despite Kansas City's lackluster...
more

There was no bottom to the depths of despair for Saints fans Saturday afternoon. What is being coined as one of the biggest playoff upsets in NFL history -- Seattle's silencing of New Orleans' repeat plans -- also became Day 1 of the Saints' offseas...
more

Every team is facing some tough questions with the regular season over, especially those who won't be dancing in the playoffs. We continue our Exit Interview series with the Dallas Cowboys, a team that always carries its share of drama, with the...
more

It's over. Brett Favre is done (we think). Finally... thankfully... regrettably? How we feel about his retirement, and his legacy, depends on the prism in which one views his career. Is he the NFL's greatest quarterback? Will he be remembered as th...
more

They say men get better looking with age. Maybe not Nick Nolte, but for the guys in the pewter and red, it holds true. The NFL's youngest team last season, and youngest roster in the preseason, is now only older than the Panthers. While Carolina...
more

There was much to take from Paul Brown Stadium on Sunday. The Chargers were ousted from the playoffs. Fans left the parking lot in their Jettas saying, "Where the heck was that all season?" Perhaps most importantly, the Bengals learned that Carson Pa...
more

Ben Margot / Associated Press DarrenÂ McFadden had his sixth 100-yard rushing game of the season in the Raiders' win over the Broncos. If you asked Raiders fans last spring if they'd take being 7-7 and in the thick of the AFC West race in...
more

Tom E. Puskar / Associated Press Troy Polamalu's aggresive, big-play style and Dick LeBeau's creative mind make them a perfect match in Pittsburgh. He's at it again. Dick LeBeau's defense is back at the top of the charts, and the 73-year-ol...
more

Todd Rosenberg / Associated Press Not even the snowy weather in Chicago and a tough Bears defense could put an end to Tom Brady's tear. Tom Brady is on a run. Like, a Hall of Fame run. A Forrest Gump ping-pong run. He's playing as good or...
more

There's a group of quarterbacks in the NFL today that can give a nod to Don Meredith -- as in, a nod of understanding. The legendary quarterback and Monday Night Football broadcaster's passing this week at the age of 72 brought about stories of h...
more

Toxic Differential . Ever heard of it? Me neither. Until earlier this season when I learned how much NFL Network analysts Brian Billick and Jim Mora leaned on it. Both of these former NFL coaches feel it's the best playoff predictor -- stat wise --...
more

Associated Press When Dan Marino passed for 5,084 yards in 1984, he did it against DBs faced with more lenient rules. One of the NFL's big ones might fall, and it's too bad. Dan Marino's single-season record of 5,084 passing yards -- set...
more

There's a reason for everything in the NFL. Sometimes coaches make decisions based on hard data, and at other times, football myths. But this much is sure: The myth about running backs hitting the wall at 30 is true. The facts about 30-year-old bac...
more

Associated Press Michael Vick (left), Vince Young and David Garrard are surprises among the NFL's top five passer ratings. Have you taken a look at the NFL passing statistics lately? Where are all the "good" guys? The franchise quarterbacks...
more

The Pittsburgh Steelers might have fallen to the Saints in New Orleans, but it's becoming easy to see that the organization feels its best chance to win is dialing Ben Roethlisberger back. What is "dialing back?" It means the days of offensive...
more

Never has a fractured clavicle had such an impact on the imminent future of the Dallas Cowboys or their direction. No, Tony Romo's broken collarbone is not a first among the franchise's name players. Walt Garrison suffered the same injury in the 19...
more

Strange things are a happenin' statistically in the NFL these days ... stranger than Curtis Enis and Troy Hambrick once being first-rounders in fantasy drafts. Perhaps even stranger than Lando Calrissian's creepy bald-headed assistant. Here's thr...
more

"How much we spread out and how much we don't spread out, the coaches coach, and the players play." Those were Mike McCarthy's words to the media last week, in response to Aaron Rodgers' notion that the Packers should spread the field more on offe...
more

If you're an avid follower of the navy and orange, there's good and bad news. The good? Chicago is 3-1 and better than its pitiful offensive display against the New York Giants on Sunday night. The bad? Get used to Jay Cutler hitting the deck. A...
more

There are intriguing matchups all over the Week 3 docket. The Lions and Vikings might be playing for their seasons. The Falcons are looking to show everyone they are a legit threat to win the NFC South crown as they face the defending champion Saints...
more

Evan Vucci / Associated Press TonyÂ Romo completed 31 passes in Sunday's loss to the Redskins, but averaged just 6 yards on his 47 attempts. You're bombarded with them every Sunday. They scurry across your screen with the subtlety of a...
more